


Where You Belong (I Know it's With Me)

by VanillaDaydreams



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Feels, Feelings Realization, Inspired by Kdrama MY GIRL, Kise is a toughie Ao is an ass but a softie inside BaeKagami is sweet and softie all the way, Love Triangles, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, aokise - Freeform, aokise pretending as cousins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-08-01 11:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16284014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaDaydreams/pseuds/VanillaDaydreams
Summary: With his father neck-deep in gambling debts, Kise Ryouta is just scraping by despite all his hard work and nobody can blame him if he’s willing to doalmostanything for money. For what stars have brought him to come across Aomine Daiki, heir to Japan’s largest hotel chain, Kise is determined to make the chance count. But Aomine has an agenda of his own: desperate to fulfill his grandfather’s dying wish, Aomine hires Kise to put on an act and pretend to be his long-lost cousin.They thought it’s a scheme they can pull off seamlessly, but family and friends and feelings get in the way of their plans.





	1. Shining Stars, Weakened Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> First things first-- I gotta thank the amazecakes friendos at the AoKise Discord server, most especially, Diva_Satanica and FluffyInsanity who generously shared their pearls of writing wisdom with me. Great writers and artists they are, dig their works, fam! I shamelessly plug because I'm the only one shameful here but these pips are really awesome.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise gets an unexpected visitor one night. Somewhere else, Aomine makes a vow to his dying grandfather.

Month-ends are something that the employees of Kaijou Travel and Tours Agency have all been looking forward to.

At the last day of every month, right by the end of the work day, the proprietor, Takeuchi Genta himself puts on the ‘CLOSED’ sign by the glassed entrance to the small office and gathers everyone around-- the booking assistants, tour guides, marketing agents and drivers-- for a staff meeting; it's an exact half-hour that he makes use of to discuss how the agency had fared during the last thirty days, the quota expected for the next month and other announcements that they all need to be aware of.

Sure, the workers of Kaijou Travel and Tours are interested in facts and figures but it’s barely half of what they’re eager for during month-end. After the meeting, Takeuchi treats the employees to yakitori and drinks at a nearby shabu-shabu and right there, he also announces Kaijou’s Shining Stars of the Month (Takeuchi’s version of best employee award) to give recognition to the agency’s top performers and also to continuously motivate the workforce.

 

* * *

 

At 7:00 pm, the employees of Kaijou are gathered in several long wooden tables teeming with food, waiting to be gorged down to the skewers.  The tangy aroma of charcoal-grilled chicken meat, seasoned with pepper and mustard, wafts across the enclosed eating space, spiking everyone’s craving, but Kaijou’s Big Boss makes the announcements first before they all splurge on the bounty before them. At the head of one of the tables, Takeuchi stands rim-rod straight, announcing the names of this month's Shining Stars written on the spring-bound notebook in his chubby hands.

“And this month’s Shining Driver award goes to… Hayakawa Mitsuhiro!” Takeuchi announces, giving Hayakawa a thumbs-up sign. "Congratulations!"

Hayakawa stands up abruptly, a blush visible on his cheeks as the rest of the Kaijou employees clapped their hands and whistled their cheers.

“Thank you, Tekeuchi-san, I’m grateful!” the brown-haired, bushy browed driver lets out a garbled yell with both fists clenched in front of his chest, though it came out a little inaudibly due to a weird speaking defect.

“No, Kaijou is thankful for your efforts, Hayakawa. Keep up the good job,” Takeuchi replies. A moment later, he peers down again into his notebook, eyes zeroing into the name of the next Kaijou Shining Star awardee. “Moving on, we come to the most coveted recognition, the Shining Tour Guide,” Takeuchi says with a huge grin as he scans the face of his employees.

Chatters quiet down as Takeuchi clears his throat. “So, the Shining Tour Guide award goes to…" he pauses dramatically before adding, "drumroll please…”

Some people begin pounding their palms on the table for added suspense.

In his seat, Kise Ryouta, the Shining Tour Guide for the past six months, crosses his fingers under the table, silently prays to all powers-that-be, and telepathically messages Takeuchi to call his name next.   ~~~~

Being named as Kaijou’s _Shining Star_ had meant that the person was voted by clients and co-workers to be deserving of the accolade and it’s Kise’s primary source of motivation since he started working as a tour guide for this travel agency. And no, he isn’t into it for mere recognition-- he won’t go the extra mile if it was just about that. Kise is after the monetary incentive that his boss, in all his generosity, gives his star workers on top of their regular salary. The reward is nothing exorbitant at all but for people like Kise who makes sure that every penny amounts to something worthwhile, it can pay for a good deal of life’s basic necessities.

“This month’s Shining Tour Guide is… still, Kise Ryouta!”

A triumphant smile breaks into Kise’s lips as soon as he hears his name. Cheers erupt all over the room and he earns countless pats on his head, shoulders and back, along with jovial congratulatory remarks from his co-workers.

“Congrats, Kise,” Takeuchi says then he continues to read from his notes. “Feedback from clients say that you’re a lot of fun to be around during tours. You’re hospitable, energetic and have so many entertaining stories to tell, they'd love to have you again on their next tour. And your co-workers can’t agree more, several of them said you’re awesome to work with.”

“Thank you, Takeuchi-san. Thank you, team! I would never have done it without your support.” Kise looks into everyone's eyes and gives them all a genuinely happy smile. “I will always do my best!” Kise bows before his boss and colleagues, already making a mental computation of how he’ll budget the 22,000 yen he’d get from Takeuchi later.

 

* * *

 

So the night ended on a high note, thanks to the abundance of food and beer that Kise’s boss had generously allowed to indulge themselves in. Kise himself is in high spirits, a little inebriated even, after losing a drinking match against his colleagues, Kasamatsu Yukio and Moriyama Yoshitaka. He’s practically skipping as he heads for the train station, even humming to himself a happy tune while he strolls all the way to his humble abode.

Kise stands at the threshold of his apartment, the motion-sensor light source near the door flicking open, allowing him to easily dig into his bag for the key. It sure was exhausting but an enjoyable kind of day nonetheless, he just can’t wait to get a warm shower and crash into bed for a well-deserved sleep.

“Kise, you’re finally home.”

Startled, Kise whirls around and sees two strangers smirking at him. Kise is taller than the average Japanese men but these guys, well, they tower above him, especially the dark-skinned man with thick, muscular build who’s been carelessly making squeaking noises with his mouth while chewing his gum.

Strange men whom he has never met know his name and turn up at his doorstep at night. Kise fights the nervous sensation rising from the pit of his stomach and wills himself to keep calm.

“I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you at all. Can I help you with anything?” Kise asks, carefully putting on a sugary smile. It usually works on strangers, he hopes his luck hasn’t run out yet tonight.

The men draw nearer. One of his visitors, a blond donning a crisp white suit, speaks up. Kise notices a tattoo print peeking on the left side of the guy’s neck and he wonders if it extends to the man’s arm and chest.

“We’ve finally met, Kise Ryouta. I’m Nash Gold Jr. and this is Jason. We’re actually here for your father but I’m pretty sure you can make up for his absence.”

If they’re actually looking for his father, then this is not good. Kise had last seen his old man some two weeks ago and he never mentioned anything about visitors. A bad feeling, cold and ominous, starts lurking somewhere in his gut.

“Dad hasn’t come home for like, three months.” Kise lies. “Maybe you can come visit him at another time? I’ll tell him you dropped by.”

“Your father is pretty elusive, I must say. So he hasn’t come home for months?” Nash inquires.

“Yes,” Kise confirms with a small nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell him to meet with you the soonest.” He turns his back on Nash and Jason, hoping that they’ll get the hint already.

“We’re not leaving empty-handed.” Nash announces. There was something in his tone that stopped Kise in his tracks, red flags coming up on top of his mind. When Kise spins around to face his visitors once again, he catches them with a grin so wicked, he flinches.

“Your father owes us money, Ryouta. Big money. And we’re here to collect.” Nash continues, his eyes glinting dangerously.

“Well, he isn’t here so I’m not sure why you still hang around,” Kise retorts, refusing to be intimidated by Nash and Jason.

“You’re his co-borrower.” Nash says as-a-matter-of-factly, the effect making Kise wince like he’s been punched in the gut.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re his co-borrower.” Nash repeats with a smirk, seemingly enjoying the bewildered expression that Kise now wears. He fishes out a piece of paper from inside his coat and shoves it into Kise’s hands. Kise scans the text, finds his and his father’s name at the bottom of the page with signatures.

“I didn’t sign this! I’ve no idea this transaction existed!” Kise argues, eyes blown wide after they flicker over the amount of money owed. Fucking one million yen, what the hell.

Nash crosses his arms over his broad chest, gaze never leaving Kise’s face. “It’s a written promise your good father gave me before he ran away with my money. I trusted him to pay back in time but he’s suddenly MIA. What should I do? Go to the co-borrower, of course.”

“But my signature is forged!” Kise claims, panic filling his voice. _How could his father do this?_

“Not my problem. Just pay up so we can all sleep soundly tonight.” Nash tells Kise.

“I don’t have the money!” Kise reasons out, the color draining from his face.

“You can always pay in installments. But you’ll be charged with interests, of course.” Nash explains. “Jason, do the honors, please.”

Before Kise realizes what’s happening, he feels Jason grabbing his right arm and twisting it behind his back, all the while pushing heavily on his left shoulder until he’s down on one knee. Despite the strain that the burly man is putting on him, Kise struggles to put up a fight but Jason breathes out into his ear, sending the tiny hairs over Kise’s nape to rise. “Try anything stupid and I’ll break your arm.”

Nash steps closer and unstraps Kise’s bag off his shoulder.

“No! Give that back!” Kise tries to wriggle away but his strength is no match against Jason. Kise watches in horror as Nash flips his bag upside down, all contents dropping to the ground, including the enveloped money that Takeuchi gave him earlier.

The money stash catches Nash’s eye, he kneels to pick it up. When he saw what’s inside the envelope, he shifts his gaze back to Kise and clucks his tongue. “What a liar you are, Ryouta. No money, huh? Not much but I’ll take what I can get. Make sure you give me triple of this next time.” He counts and pockets the bills. Jason finally releases his hold against Kise.

“You’re shitting me, right? How can I pay that huge amount?” Kise’s tone is now laced with dread.

“I shit you not, Ryouta,” Nash scoffs. “If you and your father don’t pay up, there will be ugly consequences. And we all don’t want it to end that way, do we? I heard you’re smart and resourceful… not to mention, very pretty.” Nash gives Kise a once-over before continuing, “I’m sure there’ll be enough people willing to burn big money just to ride that ass.”

“Fuck you, Nash,” Kise snaps back, face contorting in disgust, fists clenched at his sides.

Nash and Jason both laugh. “I’ll see you next month, pretty boy. And don’t be like your father. I’ll hunt you down if you disappear on me, I promise,” Nash says before he and his side-kick walked back to the black sedan parked across the street.

Kise hastily picks his things up, stuffs them back into his bag before he rushes inside the house and double bolts the door. Greatly shaken, he leans his back against the door, drawing in and exhaling sharp breaths as he tries to calm himself. Kise lets himself slide down to the floor, strength suddenly sapped out of his body. He draws his knees close to his chest and buries his face in his palms. _What has his father gotten himself into?_

He swallows the lump on his throat as Nash’s threatening words echo in his ears. He needs to warn his old man. Kise quickly reaches for his phone and with nervous fingers, dials his dad’s number. Unfortunately, his call has diverted to voice mail.

“Dad! Nash came, he wants his money back! And why do you owe him that much? You swore you’d never gamble again!” Kise hisses on the phone. The anger he feels slowly morphs into disappointment so strong, it actually hurts his chest, with the realization that his dad has never really left his vices, never really learned from his past mistakes. His dad keeps getting tangled into these kinds of situation over and over while Kise is left to clean after his mess every time.

Sighing, Kise pauses briefly, then his voice softens. “Anyway, don’t come home yet, ‘kay? Who knows what that jerkface might do to you… Be safe, Dad. Call me.”

Kise taps the end call button and clutches his phone tight. He hugs his knees in defeat, shutting his eyes, trying to sort out this train wreck of a situation. He counts from ten to one, breathing slowly, allowing his nerves to relax gradually. _No, there’s definitely a way around this mess,_ Kise tells himself. _There’s got to be a way, somewhere..._

Nash said he’ll be back after a month. _And a lot can happen within a month_ , Kise thinks, so he should be able to figure out something by then.

For the second time that night, Kise crosses his fingers, fervently hoping that he and his father will be able get through this just as they always do.

 

* * *

 

At the Mitsui Memorial Hospital in Akihabara, Aomine Daiki sits on one of the leather-upholstered visitor chairs adjacent to the massive mahogany desk used by Dr. Midorima Shintarou, top heart surgeon in all of Japan, who luckily have been one of his closest friends since middle school. Aomine leans back against the chair, trying his best to project a composed exterior, a stark contrast to the building turmoil he feels deep inside him. Never one to waste time, Aomine is sure Midorima will not summon him here at his office at this hour if nothing bad came up.

Midorima usually has a deadpan expression but today, his brows are furrowed. Aomine lets out the question and braces himself for the worst.

“How bad?”

When the doctor meets his gaze, Aomine quickly notes the sympathy in his friend’s emerald eyes.

Midorima explains, voice calm and steady. “His coronary arteries have greatly narrowed. He’s not responding well to medications. Another heart bypass is our best recourse, but the risks far outweigh the possibility of it being successful, due to the patient’s age, in fact.”

There is a pause as Aomine’s own heart drops to the floor at the physician’s words. His throat suddenly goes dry, his next question has taken him such effort to let out.  “How long does he have, Midorima?”

The green-haired physician blinks before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Even after years of practice, he detests this part of breaking grim news to patient’s relatives. Midorima isn’t sure if it’s because he and Aomine have come a long way that he’s felt twice as awful, also that he’s fully aware of Aomine’s deep affection for his grandfather. Midorima knows for a fact that the older Aomine has been the paternal figure in his friend’s life since Daiki lost his biological father at a tender age of nine. Midorima can’t imagine how Aomine must be feeling right now, at the cusp of knowing that he can lose another father soon.

“Not long, Aomine.” Midorima admits. “Grandfather’s heart has severely weakened.”

 

* * *

 

Later, Aomine lets himself stare at the sleeping form of his beloved grandfather, a peaceful expression on the old man’s face as he lies in a large hospital bed. Aomine reaches and lays a gentle hand on his grandfather’s forearm, silently begging the heavens for more time, for another chance to do what he must accomplish. _Please hold on, grandpa… please, please…_

Perhaps sensing another person’s presence, Aomine Sato’s eyes flutter open. He slowly tilts his head to the side to get a good look at his visitor.

“Daiki…your cousin… have you found him?” his grandfather rasps, breathing entirely laborious.

Aomine shakes his head. Inside him, his heart shatters, as he watches the hopeful glimmer in his grandfather’s eyes die away, easily overtaken by despair.

“I will bring him to you soon, grandpa.” Aomine vows, lightly squeezing one of his grandfather’s clammy hands. _I swear I will._


	2. Outside of Fairytales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you beg the universe for mercy but the universe just laughs at your sorry ass, wallowing helplessly in a dung heap.
> 
> Today is Kise’s unlucky day. Or is it?

Kise is at Daikokucho rail station, on his way to Kaijou Office, when he receives a call from his friend, Kuroko Tetsuya.

“Kurokocchi?”

“Kise-kun, uncle Takenaga’s here again.” Kuroko says without bothering to greet him. At the mention of his father’s name, Kise’s stomach sinks. Kuroko does a part-time job at the horse race tracks and this confirms that his father is indeed wasting cash to quench the allure of his vices again.

“Are you sure?” Kise inquires, though he knows Kuroko can’t be mistaken.

“Yeah, just saw him but it looks like he’s been here for a while.”

“Alright, keep an eye on him, please. I’ll be there in a bit.” Kise hangs up then glances at his watch. He’s got a few hours to spare before he needs to pick up some tourists from the Kansai Airport today. If he makes a detour to meet his father now, he’ll arrive at Kaijou before noon. Factoring in the two-hour travel time from Kaijou to the airport, he still has plenty of time at his disposal. Kise goes to buy an express ticket to the station closest to the horse race tracks.

 

* * *

 

The bleachers around the race course are jam-packed even this early, the smell of people’s sweat and the offensive stench of horse poop dense in the air and it takes all of Kise’s willpower not to barf. Kise easily finds his dad where Kuroko said he’d be.

After the starting pistol goes off, he sees his dad looking through binoculars, completely oblivious to the world around him.

“Dad!” Kise shouts close to his father’s ear at the same time placing a firm hand on his old man’s shoulder.

The intrusion startles and annoys his father; he almost drops the binoculars when he sees that the intruder is none other than his son.

“Ryou? W-what are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same? What are you doing here, Dad?” Kise growls, snatching the binoculars away from the old man’s grip. “I thought you’re over this!”

“I—uh…” his father stammers, eyes darting to the floor. “It’s just for this one time, I swear.”

“This one time? I heard that before!” Kise retorts, his anger boiling. He’s all set to give his old man an earful but the noise of the crowd suddenly overtakes the sound of his voice, as the horses run through several laps of the race. In a blink, his father has already taken back the binoculars and nothing, but the galloping horses holds his complete focus now.

Kise stares slack-jawed at his dad, a wave of déjà vu coming over him. His father is on the edge of his seat, an eager child trapped in an old man’s body and for a moment, Kise wishes he can share his dad’s excitement over this mundane activity. Yet he’s seen this before, all other endings vary only to a certain degree but they fall through on the same note: his father’s bet went to nothing, just another waste of precious time and money, like all things outside of fairytales.

 

 

“How many times do we have to go through this again, Dad? Why are you being so difficult?” Kise asks his father as they both exit out of the racecourse.

“Sorry, son, your dad’s too broke. And there’s… uh, a bit of debt that needs to be paid off.”

“Nash Gold came to the house weeks ago.”

Both of them stopped walking. His father gapes at him, almost like a deer caught in headlights. “Nash found out where you live?”

“Obviously. Didn’t you get my messages? He wants his money back. And I can’t believe you forged my signature and you owe him a million and now, what do we do?” Kise launches into a barrage of desperate words, wishfully thinking that all his problems will dissipate once he gets answers from his father. But that isn’t the way how real life operates, Kise tells himself, now regretting his outburst as he sees his father’s dejected face.

Kise slips into silence, remembering how his father gradually sank into the gambling quicksand after his mother had left them.

“Sorry, son,” his dad mumbles. “Did Nash hurt you?”

“I’m okay, Dad. I gave him some cash,” Kise says, withholding the fact that Nash and Jason forcefully took his money and threatened him. “He’ll be back by month-end to collect again, though.”

“I’ll speak to him and make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”  

“And how exactly are you going to convince him to do that? You don’t have money.” In his head, Kise makes a rough estimate of how much his father is currently making as a maintenance crew in a nearby public school. The debts will take a huge portion of their salaries combined and the remaining portions will never be enough to pay for the rest of their living expenses.

“I’ll find a side job. There’s this new diner near the school…”

“Dad, this thing that you have with betting and money—can’t you just promise me you’d stop? You have to swear!”

Father and son look at each other in the eye, a silent plea traded across them.

Kise Takenaga lets out a heavy sigh before speaking.

“Okay, kid, I swear.”

Hearing this fills the younger blond with relief. Kise knows it’s never a guarantee, and that all the promises he’s heard his whole life are meant to be broken after all, but at that moment, he holds on to his father’s words, intangible and unsure, but then, it’s all that he’s left with to anchor his hopes on.

 

* * *

 

 

Sometimes, you beg the universe for mercy but the universe just laughs at your sorry ass, wallowing helplessly in a dung heap.

A train service interruption on the way back to the tour agency office is all it takes for Kise to screw up his schedule for the day, the fuse that triggers the domino effect of unfortunate circumstances to come after him, unbidden.

Kise, slumped on the backseat of a cab, glances into the rows of cars ahead, his sorry ass stuck in traffic. His eyes dart to his watch and he winces, realizing how screwed he is. The phone on his hand rings. Kise groans, he doesn’t need to look at the caller ID to see who it is. Reluctantly, he brings the device to his ear.

“Kise! Where the hell are you? Of all the times, you choose this time to be late!” Takeuchi yells over the phone. “You’re supposed to report early!”

“Sorry, there’s been an emergency!” Kise says, bringing a hand to the back of his head.

“These are big-ticket clients! VIP guests of Touou Hotels!” Takeuchi replies from the other line as if Kise needs reminding.

“Sorry, Takeuchi-san. Can’t you send someone else to cover for me?” Kise suggests though he knows the answer to his question already. He's aware he’s been given this assignment because Takeuchi finds him reliable, and he feels like a total asshole right now for breaking Takeuchi's trust.

“Every tour guide I have is booked for the day! Go straight to the airport, I’m sending the coach bus ahead of you!”

His boss ends the call without waiting for his reply. The cab driver gives Kise a pitiful glance from the rear-view mirror. He bites the inside of his cheek, tries to think of a quick solution but of course, there’s nothing. Even if he bikes his way to the airport to get away from this horrible traffic, he’s not going to make it in time.

 

 

When he finally arrives at the airport, Kise breaks into a run, surging straight into the arrival gates to search for Hayakawa and the Touou guests.

He finds Hayakawa slumped on the floor, no guests.

Throwing Kise a sour look, Hayakawa gets up, his shoulders tensed. “Where the fuck have you been, Kise?”

“Long story, where’re the guests?”

The tour driver shakes his head and points to the small crowd of people huddled at least 15 feet ahead of them. “We’re screwed, Touou cancelled and transferred the booking to Fukuda Sogo Tours.”

Kise mutters a curse under his breath. And there’s no mistaking it when his gaze falls into a guy with black cornrows for hair. Haizaki Shougo, Takeuchi’s former henchman for years, considered one of the biggest assets of Kaijou. That is, until he’d decided to steal some of Kaijou’s deals and ran-off to a competitor travel agency.

“I’ll handle this,” Kise reassures Hayakawa, striding across the airport lobby towards Haizaki, who’s been herding the guests towards the direction where the bus parking lot is.

“Shougo-kun,” Kise starts.

At first, Haizaki is surprised, then his lips twitch into a smirk. “Ryouta, long time, no see.”

Kise remembers their history, back when he was still a novice tour guide for Kaijou. They dislike each other right off, clashing like similar poles of a magnet. Fierce competition for tour bookings ensue between them, until Kise discovers that Haizaki, in all his know-how and experience in the business, has been deliberately messing Kise’s records and schedule. And nobody had believed Kise when he accused Haizaki of defrauding the bookings. Until one day, Haizaki just went AWOL. Kise will never forget the devastating look on Takeuchi’s face that day.

“They’re Kaijou’s customers,” Kise tells Haizaki in a steady voice.

“Well, not anymore blondie. And whose fault is it? Yours, I believe. I’m their tour guide now.” Haizaki grins mockingly, Kise wants to punch his face so bad.

“You’re not. And they’re going with me,” Kise hisses.

“Is there a problem here?” A deep, husky voice drawls from behind Kise.

When Kise turns around, he finds himself standing face-to-face with a man in an expensive-looking dark suit and dress pants, proud shoulders pulled back, chin held up in the air like he’s so used to getting his way in everything. Kise feels a bit intimidated as he takes in the rest of the man’s appearance. Midnight-blue hair, the exact-same match as the color in his deep-set eyes. Tanned skin that makes Kise think of cinnamon and espresso shots. He’s a little taller than Kise, maybe three to four centimeters, but Kise gauges he’s just about the same age as he is.

“Sir,” Haizaki bows in courtesy before explaining. “He’s the tour guide from Kaijou. He insists on taking the guests with him.”

Judging by the way Haizaki curtsied, this man must be one of the honchos from Touou Hotels that Kise used to speak with over the phone. Kise thinks quickly, combs his memory for the name.

“Imayoshi-san, hello!” Kise extends a hand, gives the blue-haired man the warmest, brightest smile he can possibly muster. “I’m Kise Ryouta from Kaijou Travel and Tours Agency.”

However, the man doesn’t return the handshake. When Kise notes the stony expression within his eyes, he holds his breath. Finally, the man turns to Haizaki. “Please hurry and get the customers to the bus.”

Kise opens his mouth in shock, his eyes following Haizaki as he ushers the group away. He looks back at Imayoshi and pleads, “Sir, please. I can explain…”

“You’re supposed to be here 40 minutes ago,” is the cold reply Kise hears and he can feel his palms starting to sweat.

“There’s been an emergency and I’m truly sorry, Imayoshi-san. Please don’t cancel the booking,” Kise begs.

“I expected so much from Kaijou. Unfortunately, you cannot deliver. Deal with it,” Imayoshi says, despite the sincere, doleful look that Kise gives him.

“But I’m here now! I’ll guarantee these guests will have the best experience in Japan with me!”

Imayoshi scoffs. “Best experience, huh? Should’ve started the moment they stepped out of the plane. After a long flight to a foreign country, how would you feel if you find there’s no warm welcome at the arrival gates? They’re not just Kaijou’s customers, they’re our hotel’s customers and ultimately, any bad service they experience along the way affects the hotel’s reputation.”

He gives Kise one, final glare and just like that, he storms off, leaving Kise hallowed and speechless.

Despite the panic, Kise commands himself to come up with anything, to do something to salvage the situation. Kise is about to run after Imayoshi, ready to beg on his knees if necessary, when Hayakawa taps his shoulder, grounding him back to reality.

_He failed._

_He screwed up._

_What to do?_

Hayakawa shakes his head, his face marked by something sullen, something like defeat. “C’mon man, let’s go.”

He can’t help it, but Kise glances back at the retreating figure of Imayoshi, boring holes with his eyes at the back of Imayoshi’s inconsiderate blue head.

 

 

The earful Kise gets from Takeuchi later is nothing compared to the internal hollering, the furious curse words he receives from no other than himself.

There is really no excuse, no explanation to absolve him from this screw-up. Kajou lost a huge deal, more importantly, a valued client in Touou Hotels, which may just severe all ties with Kaijou because of his carelessness.

He leaves Kaijou office with his head hanging low, shoulders slumped like he’s carrying the weight of the whole wide universe. Which maybe, he does. Problems with his father, Nash, Kaijou… how can they all pile up at once? Perhaps, the universe is punishing him for his old sins… like when he used to hide his father’s wallet under his bed so he’d stop taking bets… or when he used to tease Kuroko for his lack of basketball skills when they were younger. Kise thinks about these through and decides that perhaps, the universe is right for making him pay. He silently prays for forgiveness, for some sort of reprieve, because he doesn’t think he can handle more than what’s on his plate right now.

On the way home, he passes by a street court where some high schoolers are having fun playing basketball. To take his mind off from things, Kise asks if he can join their game. The kids weren’t bad at all, Kise played with them until exhaustion had vibrated out of his nerves. With the ball bouncing away from his hand and back again, Kise suddenly feels nostalgic, he wishes he can go back to the days when he’s still the basketball Ace of his high school, considered a Miracle by his team, a shining sports career ahead of him. Yet real life happens, screws him over with a leg injury, a turning point that forced Kise to give up on his dreams.

After the game, Kise stops by a convenience store for instant noodles. He must really be careful with his expenses, especially now that a portion of his salary will have to go to his father’s debts. He continues to reflect on his life choices, and somewhere at the back of his mind, he hears a small voice, urging him to carry on and move forward. He’s strong, he’s independent, he still has a job and has plenty of wonderful friends. Though he may not be able to realize his dream of becoming a basketball superstar, he’s going back and forth to Japan’s swinging hot spots, weaving the best possible vacations for tourists from all over the world, meeting amazing people along the way. At least, he continues to reflect, he’s living his purpose. For sure, some people are having it a lot worse, there may be some who are fighting for dear lives in some hospital bed as he eats his noodles.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s at dusk when Kise sets for home, the skies spread above his head in blues and purples and faint oranges, bruised and battered. It’s a startlingly comparable vignette to the kind of day he had. The street lamps dotting the alleys blink and click to a glow, casting rows of evenly-distanced diagonal shadows on the ground.

 _Everything’s going to be okay_ , he repeats to himself with every step, until he rounds the corner of the street and sees…

A familiar black sedan.

_Shit. What are they doing here? It’s not even month-end yet!_

Kise backs away a few steps to hide himself, presses his back against a wall and starts peering into his house.

He sees one of the fuckface, Jason.

Swallowing the panic in his throat, Kise walks away as stealthily as he can. He fishes for his phone and dials Kuroko’s number.

“Kurokocchi, emergency!” Kise almost yells after his friend picks up the call. “Can I crash at your place?”

“What happened? Where are you, Kise-kun?”

“Please, can I stay for the night?” Kise breaks into a sprint, going to the opposite direction while stealing glances over his shoulder to make sure he’s not being followed.

In his haste, Kise doesn’t notice the pedestrian signal glowing red, he’s one step too soon just as a speeding car drives by from the street corner.

And everything happens in a blink, a whiplash to his senses.

Kise has heard the sudden roar of his heartbeat, a car horn blaring so loud it pierced his eardrums, tires screeching to a halt before a flash of blinding light assaults his eyes.

He’s also felt metal against the side of his left thigh, just as the car pulls to a complete stop, milliseconds before it hits him at full impact. His hands slam into the car’s hood, throwing his body off-balance. Kise stumbles backward and lands on his butt against the hard concrete.

“Fuck, are you okay?” The driver is immediately at Kise’s side. In the wake of his stupor, he sees midnight blue.

Imayoshi.

Kise opens his mouth but no words came out.

“Tell me what hurts,” Imayoshi says. Kise remembers how those midnight-blue eyes had looked at him cold and smug just hours ago and now… now they’re filled with worry, with concern.

Just then, an idea hits him.

The shock is now wearing off, Kise realizes he’s not that hurt at all, maybe he’s got a few bruises but nothing fatal, for sure. However, if Imayoshi takes him to the hospital, he can get away from Jason, he doesn’t need to bother Kuroko and…

_Two birds, one stone._

“My… my leg… hurts,” Kise says, just over a din of a whisper. He shuts his eyes and faints, or rather, fake-faints into Imayoshi’s arms.

And Kise suppresses all urge to react when Imayoshi scoops him from the ground and effortlessly carries him into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Also, big thanks to everyone who took interest and sent love over the previous chapter!
> 
> The airport scene and that last scene have been tricky, writing 'Imayoshi' without actually thinking of the real Imayoshi distracted me at some points, I hope they still came out understandable? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
> 
> And also, Haizaki bby is not exactly tour guide material but I hope for the sake of the story, you'd let it slide (-̩__-̩)
> 
> I thrive on reader's love, come holler at me at the comments~


	3. Comeback is Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise learns that the person he calls ‘Imayoshi’ is someone very, very interesting, he thinks he might have struck gold. He devises a plan but getting what he wants isn't as easy as he thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm putting this update for the tenth year anniversary of Kurobas! And I'm 10 years late to the party but I'm so happy to be a part of the fandom, nonetheless. So cheers to us, newcomers, and cheers to everyone who's still here~

Waiting outside the hospital room stokes the fire in Aomine’s nerves, a burst of panic thundering in his chest for the past half hour.

God, he almost killed _someone_. The blond tour guide from earlier at the airport.

_What was his name?_

_Kise._

_Kise almost died because of him._

Aomine shakes his head and wonders how fucked up his life can get.  The scenes from earlier replays on his mind over and over in a cruel slow motion of sorts, how the blond had suddenly jumped out of nowhere, his body tumbling to the ground like a log, the pained look in his amber eyes as he tells Aomine that his leg is hurting.

No matter how he persuades himself to keep calm, he just can’t wrestle off both worry and guilt gnawing at his insides. Bringing a hand to his forehead, he works his fingers to massage his temples, shuts his eyes, silently counting the seconds until the doctor beckons for him to come inside.

He trudges after the doctor, footsteps heavy against the tiled floor. Not until he’s heard the blond is completely out of danger that Aomine finally stops beating himself up.

“He’s fine,” is what the doctor says, gesturing at the blond in bed. Finally, Aomine expels a heavy breath, all knotted emotions in his chest coming loose, and he begins to relax.

“No lacerations anywhere, no bone fractures turning up on the x-rays,” the doctor continues.

“Great. Thank God,” Aomine mutters, his eyes flitting over at the tour guide’s unconscious form. “But why hasn’t he woken up?”

“It’s most likely due to shock,” the doctor explains. “The human body has the tendency to shut off like that in face of tremendous stress. His vitals are all normal, you don’t need to worry. We just let him rest for a while and he’ll be quite alright.”

“Thank you, doc,” Aomine says before giving the other man a slight bow of his head. The doctor reassures him with a small smile before walking off, leaving Aomine alone with the sleeping blond. Aomine pulls a chair and sits close to the bed, and with nothing better to do, he begins to inspect the tour guide’s face, only half-aware that he’s actually picking on the sleeping man’s features.

 _He really has long lashes_ , Aomine first notes. Not that he didn’t notice earlier during their encounter at the airport. Up close, the blond’s face is ivory-smooth, rose-tinged lips slightly parted, tufts of fine, blond tresses crowning his head, and right there he lays motionless, almost looking like an angel at rest. Yet, Aomine knows better than to easily lay down his guard towards people with pretty faces.

_Except that he turns up late for a job and keeps calling him Imayoshi, how annoying._

Aomine snorts in remembrance. Well at least, he’s now assured that the blond is okay. That’s all that matters. For now, he’ll just wait for the blond to wake up, get him safely to where he lives, walk away and put this stressful experience behind him.

The sudden buzz of his phone disrupts his chain of thoughts.

“Hello?” Aomine says. He listens while his executive assistant speaks from the other line. “I know… I got held up… Yeah, I’m on my way.”

Aomine’s gaze reverts to the blond, still peacefully asleep. Slowly as not to wake the tour guide, he tugs at the blanket and pulls it up over the blond’s shoulders before he rings the button for alerting the nurses’ station. When the nurse walks in, Aomine tells her that he’s needed somewhere else and has no choice but to leave the guy in the nurse’s care.

“If anything comes up, just call me.” From his wallet, Aomine pulls out a business card and hands it to the nurse. Aomine leaves, quietly shutting the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

  _This Imayoshi guy is unbelievable!_ Kise thinks. _How could he just leave an injured person behind, someone whom he almost killed without so much of an apology?_

No more than five seconds after the door closes, Kise’s eyes snap open. He stirs, lets out a small whimper for added effect before gingerly stretching his arms and legs as if waking up from a deep slumber. In all of that time that he’s recovering from ‘tremendous stress’, Kise has worked up several spiels intended for a sit-down with Imayoshi in the morning. Only he doesn’t see it coming, Imayoshi choosing not to stay until Kise’s been prepared enough to wake up and deal with him.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” The nurse inquires, probing his face for any signs of discomfort.

“Um… I’m alright, I guess.” With sluggish movements, Kise gets up to a sitting position while the nurse fixes the pillow to comfortably support his back. If there’s any consolation to this, at least now he can stop pretending to be hurt. He learns that it’s no easy feat, faking unconsciousness.

“Good,” says the nurse, taking one of his wrists to check on his pulse rate. “Oh, your friend just left, would you like me to go after him?”

“No, it’s fine,” Kise replies. “I’ll manage. Besides, I think I’m better off with you taking care of me,” he beams at the nurse, the immediate effect of which brought a hint of red to her cheeks.

The nurse pours a glass of water for Kise and urges him to drink up. He chugs it all down and asks for another glass. All this drama has gotten him so thirsty.

 “By the way, he left this.” She gives Kise the business card.

 

**_AOMINE DAIKI_ **

**_Senior Executive Vice President, Touou Hotels Group_ **

 

“Senior Executive---woah!” Kise claps a hand over his mouth. The dominating aura he feels around the tanned man earlier explains it all: that he’s not just some low-key supervisor tasked to oversee the transit of the guests from the airport. This man who almost ran him over is a legit big-shot from the famed Touou Hotels.

But the surprise he’s felt is soon replaced by a heap of annoyance, on the subsequent comprehension that Imayoshi is not really Imayoshi and the guy in question never even bothered to introduce himself properly.

 _As expected of a rich-ass_ , Kise concludes, remembering their exchange at the airport earlier.

“Hey, is everything okay?” The nurse’s voice comes off-tangent with his thoughts, probably noticing the scowl that Kise now wears on his face.

“Uh, yeah.” Kise turns his attention to the nurse. “Just remembered something but I’m good, thank you.”

“I’ll leave you to yourself, then. Give the nurses’ station a ring in case you need anything.”

“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.”

After she exits the room, Kise’s attention reverts to the piece of paper in his hand.

“Aomine Daiki,” he reads every syllable audibly, brushing his thumb over the printed letters on the business card. “Should’ve been here forty minutes ago my ass.”

Now that he’s alone and has no compelling reason to hide any more of his contempt, Kise snorts out loud.

 

* * *

 

After spending the night at the hospital, Kise returns to his house, finds everything in order, no Nash or Jason looming anywhere and he’s grateful for the quiescence that last night’s shenanigans have brought about. He takes a long shower, and after toweling himself dry, proceeds to wear a button-down long-sleeved shirt and dark semi-skinny pants. He goes to find the only pair of suede shoes he has, dusting them clean before he puts them on.

With one last flourish in front of the mirror, Kise judges his appearance and feels quite satisfied, he doesn’t look too well-made nor too shabby for today’s agenda but exudes just the right amount of flair to set his plan in motion.

 

* * *

 

If anything, Aomine Daiki’s office speaks volumes about its owner: proud, uppity, domineering. For one, it’s probably twice the floor area of Kise’s apartment, with its obsidian and maroon-themed furnishings against boring gray walls, glossy parquet flooring and several abstract art pieces that Kise can’t make any sense of, displayed on the shelf behind the enormous steel-framed desk.

And Kise plays it cool, doesn’t let it show if he’s a little ruffled by the intense and piercing stare that Aomine continues to give him right from that moment he starts waltzing into Aomine’s office up to the point where he gestures for Kise to sit on one of the chairs from across his desk, Aomine’s face betraying no emotion at all. Kise leans back casually against the visitor’s chair and returns the favor, holding Aomine’s gaze steady, tucking all unnecessary feelings of unease safely at the back of his mind. The art of maintaining grace under pressure is something Kise prides himself in, having dealt with all kinds of people because of his job. Aomine may be well-off and gets everything going his way just by throwing money around but Kise’s well-prepared for the likes of him. Poised for a serious discussion, Kise waits for Aomine to say something first, he’s sure to gain better control of the situation that way. Predictably, the Touou Executive gives up on silence first though his words are too far from what Kise had come to expect.

“Did you come all the way here just to stare at me?” Aomine’s voice slices through Kise’s thoughts, a blow to undermine his composure.

And then maybe, he’s underestimated the Touou Executive.

“Oh my god, what?” Kise does a double take, asks himself if he’s heard Aomine right.

“I asked if you came all the way here—”

“I heard you!” This time, Kise doesn’t let Aomine finish, doesn’t bite back the edge in his tone. “If my eyeballs need something to feast on, you can bet this is the last place I’d come to. And in case you already forgot, I happen to be the person you almost got _killed_ last night. You could’ve at least apologized before you left!”

“Apologize?” Aomine repeats like he’s just heard something incredulous. “You crossed the street when you weren’t supposed to, what’s there to apologize for?”

Kise narrows his eyes at the man in front of him, his patience dangerously close to the end of the fuse. So much for grace under pressure. “You would’ve done it if there’s any decency in you, Aomine Daiki!”

“Finally, you got my name right.” Aomine smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. Kise winces, unable to gauge the extent of Aomine’s cheeky behavior.

“Anyway, I get it. Let’s stop beating around the bush. You want money, don’t you?” Aomine asks.

Kise clears his throat before holding his chin up.  “Injury claim,” he corrects.

“I already took care of the hospital expenses. And the doctor said you’re not hurt at all.”

“But still, the mental stress it brought me!”

“The way I see it, you’ve fully recovered from stress. You seem… full of energy, even.”

“Look, Aomine. What happened last night maybe nothing to you.” Kise’s tone falters as he begins to shift gears, appealing to Aomine’s pity instead, if this man had any ounce of it in his bones. “…but I’ve never been so scared in my life, I really thought I was gonna die. My belongings… my bag, the little money that I have, my work phone, I lost them all last night. I’m lucky, one of my friends came to the hospital and loaned me some cash so I could at least get home.”

To Kise’s surprise, Aomine rummages from one of the drawers of his desk and in a beat, pulls out _his_ bag.

“This one’s been left in my car. As for your phone, I’ll have it replaced immediately. My assistant will get in touch with you.”

Kise waits for Aomine to say something more. Unfortunately, he’s waited in vain.

“You mean, that’s it?” Kise inquires, shooting Aomine a weary look.

Aomine sighs. “I don’t see any need for injury claim. But if you insist, you can talk to one of my lawyers about it.”

“Fine!” Kise grabs his bag, stands up and hastily makes his way for the door. He’s now convinced that Aomine has no heart inside that broad chest of his. “Your lawyer can talk to Attorney Kurokocchi! Goodbye!”

 

* * *

 

 It’s a good thing he’s alone in the elevator, Kise barely noticed that he’s talking out loud to himself, fuming about his meeting with Aomine. Stomping all the way to the building’s exit, he glares at anyone who happens to meet his gaze. Outside of Touou, the sun is already high above his head, the air has gone humid, causing Kise’s agitation to escalate even more.

“Kise-san, wait!”

Kise isn’t that far from the hotel when a lean, dark-haired man calls after him.

“I’m Imayoshi from Touou Hotels,” the man straightened his glasses first before offering a hand towards Kise.

“What?” Kise snaps, with all intent to ignore Imayoshi’s outstretched arm. It’s not quite fair but he can’t help the hard feelings that had easily taken roots in his conscience, scorning anyone and anything affiliated with Touou Hotels.

Imayoshi draws his hand back and slips it into his pocket. _There’s definitely something telling on that grin_ , Kise notes. He doesn’t like it.

“Boss wants to discuss with you further,” Imayoshi explains.

“Did he change his mind about the injury claim?” Kise asks, skeptical.

“Who knows? Follow me to find out,” Imayoshi gestures for Kise to return to Touou with him.

 

After leaving Touou earlier, Kise doesn’t expect to retrace his steps back to that damning office, even more so, that he’ll have to face again his new least-favorite-person this soon.

Kise eyes Aomine warily but the latter’s expression is still as unreadable as hieroglyphics.

“Changed your mind about the injury claim?” Kise demands, too keen on hoping that the universe has taken his side this time.

“No.”

“What? Then why do you waste my time—”

“I’ve something that might interest you,” Aomine says, putting emphasis on the final word. “About yesterday’s tour booking that got cancelled because someone came in late for the job.”

Kise just shrugs. Now he finds it astounding, how Aomine can get into his nerves, rubbing salt to his wounds at perfect intervals since the two of them met.

“Unfortunately, we got a problem with Fukuda Sogo’s guide.” Aomine continues, “So tell me Kise Ryouta, how’s your English?”

He takes his time, turning over Aomine’s words carefully in his mind before coming up with a reply. His thoughts drift back to the events of yesterday, a real-life playback from the time Hayakawa tells him that Touou has cancelled the tour booking to that moment he confronted Haizaki. Finally, understanding dawns on Kise, and it brings with it a genuinely proud smile on his lips.

“Above par.” Kise confirms with a dignified raise of his chin. “I’m pretty fluent in Spanish and Mandarin, too.”

Haizaki may have all the experience and cunning under his belt but just as any proud man, he has a crippling weakness. From what he recalls, Haizaki’s good in Cantonese and Mandarin but cannot, for the life of him, hold a decent English conversation which poses a huge problem since the Touou guests are all from Hawaii and it’ll be much of a hassle to hire a separate interpreter. Kise wonders why he failed to remember this one important fact yesterday which could’ve saved him from all the trouble of arguing with Aomine.

“Very well. You just got the job back,” Aomine asserts and for the first time, Kise finds for himself a smile that’s pure, no traces of conceit nor sarcasm, from his new least-favorite-person.

“However, there will be some changes with the arrangement. These guests are our Hotel’s counterparties from Hawaii and I’ve personally invited them and their families to come to Japan, all-expense paid, but mostly for business purposes.” Aomine reveals, his tone serious. “It’ll require you to accompany them for longer hours, as guide and interpreter, for the duration of their stay. Can you do it?”

“If I can deliver excellent service should be the least of your concerns, I can handle anything you throw at me,” Kise assures Aomine, thinking carefully on how to play his cards right. “But given the conditions, my rates will have to be adjusted, too.”

“Name your price.”

“Double. And on top of my agency’s cut.”

“Done deal. You can meet them right after this and start showing them around Osaka.” Aomine adds, “by the way, I’ve already asked Imayoshi to get you a new phone.”

Kise’s eyebrows shoot up, pretty much impressed at how things are moving quickly from bad to better.

Amused, Kise throws his head back and grins. When he speaks, his tone has dramatically changed from being clipped to airy. “By choosing me, you just made the best decision in your life, Aominecchi!”

“What was that?” Aomine asks with a slight frown.

“I’m saying, you’re going to get what you pay for. I never forget to return the favor, you know?”

“I meant, the name.”

Kise lets out a mild chuckle. Aomine is still among those that are included in his list of not-favorite-persons, but the smug way Aomine carries himself and the decisiveness in his choices sparks an interest within Kise, a kind of challenge to find a chink in Aomine’s armor, something that may come in handy later on.

“I’m fond of giving nicknames to people who earn some of my respect.”

“Just some? Mind you, I’m the boss around here. You shouldn’t just give me nicknames on a whim.” The cocky Aomine returns full blast.

“Ah, don’t worry about that, Aominecchi,” Kise says to him with a telling smile. “It’s just between you and me.” The tanned man pulls a face on hearing the nickname again and it amuses Kise to no ends that he’s found a sort of leverage to create shudders in Aomine’s seemingly impenetrable guard.

 

* * *

 

Much like the homecoming of a victorious soldier, Kise had been welcomed in Kaijou Office with so much exultation. Kobori and Moriyama are the first to laud him as soon as they saw him coming in. Kasamatsu comes from behind him and starts ruffling his hair and while no words have been said to him, Kise can tell that his sempai is proud. From one of the tables in the far end of the room, his boss Takeuchi grins from ear to ear.

“Good job, my boy. Good job!” The way Takeuchi said it, Kise is certain that he’s just secured the next Shining Star award.

“How did you do it, Kise?” Nakamura asks. He doesn’t let it show but Kise secretly enjoys the obvious reverence in Nakamura’s eyes.

“I just had a polite talk with the Touou boss,” Kise replies while he fixes himself a cup of mocha latte from the coffee vendo machine.

“And he changed his mind?” Nakamura wants to know. “Smooth.”

“I know how important this deal is to all of us. I can’t let all of you down. I love this team.” As sappy as it sounds, Kise meant every word he said.

“Comeback is real,” Hayakawa chimes in.

“It sure is,” Kise agrees. “And hey, we’ll fetch the guests in twenty minutes. Is the coach bus ready?”

“Just say when you’re ready to leave,” Hayakawa says, spinning the key with his index finger.

 

* * *

 

True to his words, Kise made sure that the Touou guests had the best vacation of their lives, days filled with fond memories that they will bring with them back home to Hawaii. He’s never been this enthused about a tour assignment before but this time seems he has a lot to prove not only to Aomine but to his co-workers as well.

The customers are three groups of families, nine adults including the businessmen that Aomine deals with, and three middle-school children. Kise has memorized each of their names, speaks to them individually whenever he can, and being the perceptive person that he is, he tries to pick up personality traits from their reactions and tendencies, and uses what he learns to make them feel that he’s their friend in that foreign country, not just some paid guide. Kise brings them to castles and temples and nature parks, sharing bits and pieces of Osaka’s rich and colorful history. Everyday, Kise gives the children weird flavored KitKats which Japan is world-famous for; wasabi, grilled potato, fruit parfait and many more. After dinner, he takes the businessmen’s wives either to Namba or to Umeda for shopping or to a nearby onsen for pampering. It’s a little bit exhausting but Kise motivates himself by keeping his eyes on the prize, because by the end of the week, Aomine has promised to pay him double which, coincidentally, is the day he’ll have to meet with Nash and Jason again.

Sometimes, Aomine joins them, if just to check how the guests are enjoying their stay, to see if Kise is indeed doing his job right. On the guests’ final night in Japan, Aomine had arranged for a sumptuous dinner at Touou, where a fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine is served, much to the delight of the guests. Kise isn’t supposed to join them at the dinner table but because Aomine doesn’t speak English, too, Kise has been summoned to help in communication.

“Ryouta, why don’t you eat as well?”  When he notices Kise hovering by the dinner table, one of the businessmen, Evan, gestures for Kise to help himself with the food.

“Thank you, Mr. Evan, but I’m quite good! Please enjoy the food!” He declines the offer with a smile although in truth, the kaiseki consisting of medium-rare wagyu beef, fine-looking sashimi, black abalone and snow crabs makes him drool.

Evan then turns to Aomine and suggests, “Have Ryouta join us for dinner.”

And since he doesn’t understand a word, he waits for Kise to translate.

“Aominecchi, Evan-san said that I should eat, too.”

Aomine remains quiet and instead, looks at Kise with baffled eyes.

“Oh, you think I’m making this up, do you?” Kise pouts at the accusation.

“Aren’t you?”

“Of course not!”

“Ryouta, is everything okay?” Evan already seems confused at the exchange between the Japanese host and the guide.

Aomine, not wanting to make a big fuss out of this, finally lets Kise join the dinner. “Don’t be an idiot, of course you’re going to eat with us. Get on with it. And tell Evan how generous I am.”

Kise rolls his eyes as he pulls a chair, taking the spot in between Evan and Aomine. He turns to the American on his right. “Aomine is being funny, he says that I shouldn’t eat too much.”

“What? Why?” Liezl, Evan’s wife, speaks out, mild surprise crossing her features. “There’s plenty of food to feed the entire Hotel. Eat as much as you can, Ryouta!”

Kise turns to catch Aomine’s expectant gaze, seemingly intrigued by what Liezl had said. Kise tells him, “she said the food is very delicious and thanks you for your generosity. She said that I should try everything, too, and eat as much as I could.”

“Fine. Help yourself.” Aomine shrugs.

He doesn’t try to suppress the huge grin that spreads on his face, neither caring that Aomine is side-eyeing him, looking almost suspicious. Drawing both palms together in a prayer-like fashion in front of his chest, Kise singsongs, “Itadakimasu!”

And though he isn’t really a big eater, Kise doesn’t let the opportunity slip by, so he helps himself with ample servings of food for the rich and famous, which he can only afford in his wildest dreams. He brings a slice of sea urchin cooked with caramelized white miso to his mouth.  And damn, he’s never tasted anything this exquisite in his life.

 

* * *

 

Surprisingly, Kise has felt several oddly conflicting emotions after the tour for Touou’s VIP guests had ended. There is definitely sadness, for he’s sure he’s going to miss their company, who repaid his dedication with warmth and enthusiasm, and on some occasions, with hefty tips though he profusely declines to accept them at first. Relief, too, now that he can revert to his usual work routines without the pressure from Aomine and Takeuchi. Most important of all, there’s a rush of excitement at the thought of getting his hands to hard-earned money, only to be buoyed to disappointment once again on remembering that said hard-earned cash will end up eventually into Nash’s hands.

So when he goes to Aomine’s office the next day expecting to receive full payment for his services but is only met by the four-eyed hotel manager informing him that the Touou Executive has left Osaka due to some extremely urgent circumstances, Kise goes fuming, his dislike for Aomine coming back in torrents.

“What do you mean he’s not here?!” Kise demands, jaws tight with irritation. “What about my pay?”

“I’m sorry, Kise-san,” Imayoshi apologizes. “But I can’t make cash disbursements to third-parties without the boss’ go-signal. Aomine is a busy man. With the Group Chairman very sick, Aomine’s on his own, making sure every Touou Hotel branch in the country is up and running.”

“Don’t give me that shit, everyone’s been working off their asses here!”

“So you must understand, Kise-san, that he is always on a tight schedule.”

“But I need that money! He can’t just leave without paying me first!”

“There’s nothing I can do, unfortunately. He’s coming back after three days.”

“I can’t wait that long!” Kise complains, fighting the urge to wrangle cash out of Imayoshi by whatever means.

Imayoshi averts his gaze from Kise and turns instead to re-arrange the pile of folders on Aomine’s desk. “You don’t have a choice, really. He’ll be off to Singapore in a few hours.”

 

* * *

 

 

The week had been fast-paced and eventful, he only gets to rest when it’s time for bed and for eating, so when the vacation for the Hawaii guests drew to a close, Aomine can’t be anymore happier to finally send them all home. He anticipates a quieter weekend back in Tokyo with his mother and grandpa, but fate, as per usual, had different plans, decides on a whim that he be flying outside the country to search for a needle in a haystack. Not literally but same idea and considerable amount of time and effort to be exhausted. Last night, Aomine winds up with news that his long-lost cousin could be living overseas, in Singapore, particularly. Because time might be running out for his grandpa, he’s booked for the earliest flight to Singapore’s Changi Airport, all his hopes anchored on a name and address of an unknown person, his alleged cousin, who had reportedly been lost during the Osaka earthquake in the early 90s. Lately, he’s been losing sleep thinking where in the world his cousin might be, if he’s bound to find him before their grandpa breathes his last. More than anyone else in their family, it’s Aomine who had dearly wished for the search to end, who had fervently prayed that this time, he’d finally be able bring Aomine Takara to his grandpa.

A female voice resounds from the airport’s intercom, calling all passengers bound for Singapore to proceed to the boarding gates. Pulling his hand-carry luggage, Aomine walks towards the queue of passengers but abruptly stops when somebody latches on his free arm in a vise-like grip.

“Kise, what are you doing here?” Aomine is shocked to see the blond coming out of nowhere again, gasping for breath like he’s run a marathon.

“My m-money…” Kise pants, still too breathless to come up with coherent phrases. “Pay up… before you leave…”

“I have a plane to catch, you’ll get your pay after I come back.” Aomine says, brows knitting together in annoyance. Kise can’t be running all the way here and causing a ruckus just for—for this small amount of money owed, he thinks. “Now, let go.”

“No, you jerk!” Kise argues, pulling tighter on Aomine’s arm. “You promised to pay today!”

With a death glare, Aomine’s other hand curls tight around Kise’s wrist, shoving it away from his body forcefully.

“Can’t wait to get your greedy hands into my money, huh?” Aomine taunts, his blood starting to simmer at how demanding and whiny this idiot is.

“It’s my money!” Kise corrects him, his face twisting in contempt, amber pupils dilated.

“Listen, I need to go now,” Aomine tries again, impatiently. “Can’t we discuss this when I get back?”

“No! You pay me now or you don’t leave at all. Don’t try me.”

“The fuck,” Aomine curses, gritting his teeth before more expletives come out of his mouth. “You know what? Here, take your damn money!” He sneers at the blond, pulling out several ten-thousand yen bills from his wallet. However, instead of putting them into Kise’s hand, he throws them all into the blond’s chest.

The act catches Kise off-guard, his mouth opened like a goldfish out of water, he can only look helplessly as the money flits and drops to the floor at their feet. When Kise looks at Aomine again, his amber eyes glints with hatred, with humiliation, and under normal circumstances, Aomine would’ve felt guilty but it’s a different case this time. It’s kind of cruel but the feeling of satisfaction trumps his guilt.

“You are going to pay for this!” Kise threatens in a low voice, murderous eyes trained on Aomine.

“I’d like to see you try,” Aomine fires back, condescending and derisive, because what’s the worst thing Kise could do, beat him? To be honest, Kise looks well-built and athletic but Aomine is certain he can take the blond any day, anywhere.

Tensed silence ensues and Aomine knows they’re done here, he’s put Kise into his rightful place. Not wasting anymore time, Aomine turns to his heels, pulls his luggage and leaves a gaping Kise behind, a sardonic grin playing on his lips.

Aomine hasn’t wandered far when he’s heard the stupid nickname again.

“Aominecchi!”

A shrill, piercing cry resounding at the airport’s lobby catches the attention of the crowd, Aomine included.

When he looks back, Aomine finds Kise slumped to the floor in a disheveled heap, one hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking and he’s _…crying?_

And Aomine sees them, Kise’s amber eyes—bright and sharp just moments ago—stare  back right at him like that of a kicked puppy, shiny with tears.

“After all the things I gave up for you… this—this is what you do to me!” Kise yells in a quivering voice, hands busy picking up the money scattered around him.

“I fought for you, Aominecchi! For us!”

 _What the actual fuck is this idiot saying?_ Before Aomine can even figure the sense out of Kise’s words, he realizes in dismay that the airport has fallen so quiet, people are staring not just at Kise, but also at _him_.

“Oi, Kise, what the hell are you on about--”

“I love you so much, Aominecchi!” the blond loudly interjects, tears from his red-rimmed eyes coursing down his cheeks. Aomine has heard a collective gasp from on-lookers.

“…but you just… throw me aside… like trash…” Kise snivels in between phrases, pausing a beat to swipe his tears away with the back of his hands.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about, we’re not in a relationship!” Aomine blurts out to no one in particular, his face and neck growing warm at an alarming pace by the minute.

Kise has then buried his tear-streaked face in his hands, lets out a muffled wail, shoulders wracked with heavy sobs.

“Shame on you!” somebody from the crowd screams at Aomine.

With clenched jaws, Aomine strides back to where Kise is, tries to get the blond to stand up and recant his words. When he grips Kise’s shoulders, the blond swats his hands away. The raw emotions in Kise’s eyes stun Aomine for a half-second, the idiot had actually looked _heart-broken_.

Kise sniffles several times before he continues, his chin trembling, with a voice still loud enough for passers-by to hear. “I hope you’re happy now, Aominecchi.”

While Aomine tries to process what’s happening, Kise gets to his feet and dashes out of the scene as swiftly as he came.

 

* * *

 

As he sits in the plane still reeling from the impact of Kise’s antics, Aomine tries to ignore the people throwing him scathing glances, tries to pretend that he doesn’t hear the stream of judging words whispered from one ear to another. Even the man sitting beside him abruptly draws his elbow from the shared handrest of their business class seats, making the gap between him and Aomine as large as possible, like he doesn’t want to catch something contagious.  Shaking his head, Aomine scoffs at his situation, and between humor and rage, he doesn’t know which feeling deems more prevalent within him right now. All he’s sure of is that either way, everyone else who sympathizes with Kise is hostile to him, and so are the homophobes. And in this flight, unfortunately, there’s no in between. He has to give it to Kise who sure knows how to get under his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3  
> Sorry for the oh-so-slow updates, year ends are crunch time in rl. :-\


	4. Magnetic, Irresistible Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise needs a side job, Aomine needs to find his cousin, fast. One can say it’s fate, or mere coincidence, for two people looking for entirely different things to find each other instead. This is how it begins.

Wiping the sarcastic smile off the rich ganguro’s face is definitely worth the trouble of making a scene before a crowd of unsuspecting strangers at the airport, and Kise feels so accomplished, he’s never been so proud of himself like this in a while.

Kise smiles to himself, mischievous and smug, on remembering the confounded look on Aomine’s face, the bright, scarlet shade that overtook the ombre of his skin, the way he flinched at Kise’s confession. Aomine obviously hadn’t seen it coming, he’s sure to have been blown out of his wits. And Kise is glad that the crowd had seemed convinced by his performance, he thinks he deserved a best actor trophy for pulling it off. _Aomine only got what he’s asking for_ , Kise reasons, because nobody crosses Kise Ryouta and gets away with it unscathed.

 

* * *

 

“Ryouta.”

On hearing his name, his mood abruptly darkens. Nash, sporting the same cocky grin that Kise loathes, finally arrives to their agreed meeting spot, his bodyguard Jason not far behind him.

“You’re early. I hope we didn’t make you wait too long,” Nash greets him, but the sarcasm is not lost on Kise.

“I just got here,” Kise replies, his voice clipped.

“That’s good. You’re manageable than I thought.” The corners of Nash’s mouth pulls into a smirk. “Well, let’s see how well you did.” He stretches out his right hand, prompting Kise to give him what they came for. Kise rummages through the contents of his bag, plucks out the stash of folded bills that Aomine had thrown at him earlier and reluctantly puts them into Nash’s waiting hand.

“That’s two month’s worth,” Kise adds.

“Hmm. I’m quite impressed,” Nash remarks while he counts the money. “But I miss your old man’s face. Still no word from him?”

“Just leave my dad out of this. I’ll take care of the debt,” Kise tells Nash with measured sternness. He’d rather have these loan sharks going after him instead. His father has meager earnings, anyway, just enough to support himself. Judging by their appearance, Nash and Jason seem the type that will not hesitate to use violence if they do not get what they want. The farther his dad stays away from them, the less worries Kise will have.

Satisfied, Nash pockets the money. “Whatever you say, pretty boy. Jason here is sure to miss you next month.” Jason then lifts his chin and bares his teeth at Kise, who simply responds with a sharp glare.

“Send my regards to your good father,” Nash waves a hand as he and Jason stroll away.

 

* * *

 

Just like that, Kise is back to square one, dangerously low on cash and on the lookout for ways on how he’ll come up with the amount of money to pay the remaining debt. He considers the possibility of borrowing money from Kuroko or Kasamatsu-senpai, or even from one of his long-time friends, Takao, whom he’s met during high school. He mulls this over but quickly dismisses the idea, decides that it’ll be his final resort just in case the worst happens, because he still has his pride to uphold.

 _No time to waste, I need a side job soon_. He’ll go looking for one today, his off days as tour guide need to be utilized for something more productive than resting at home, Kise contemplates.

His stomach growls in hunger, only having been fed by a bowl of mushroom soup for breakfast, right before he went to Touou, then to the airport to stop Aomine from leaving without paying him first, and then finally, to meet Nash and Jason.

Kise decides to stop by a convenience store, because it’s just convenience store food that he can afford these days. With little money left, Kise meticulously inspects every shelf to compare prices and finds the cheapest snack option available. He grabs a spicy tuna onigiri and a bread slice, and from the beverage shelf, his eyes lock into the lone bottle of strawberry milk, the most inexpensive drink he finds at just 300 yen.

Kise reaches for it just as another hand does the same.

Startled, Kise immediately withdraws his hand, whips his head to the side and finds a red head with fiery, garnet eyes resting under a thick pair of split eyebrows, looking right back at him with the same level of surprise.

“Sorry… uh… you take it,” comes the apology of split-brows guy, as he pulls down his over-ear headphones to the collar of his gray hoodie.  

Kise blinks twice, lets out an embarrassed smile before saying, “Nah, go ahead.”

“I’m cool, take it.”

“It’s not good for empty stomach, anyway, so it’s all yours.”

“But I’ll just get this instead.” Split-brows guy takes a carton of apple juice from the far-right end of the shelf. “Please get that last strawberry milk.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Kise gives up, fingers closing around the milk bottle. “Thanks,” he beams at split-brows guy.

 

 

Kise proceeds to the cashier to pay for his stuff and puts several coins on the money tray. After the lady at the cash register encodes the sale and counts the money, she swivels the price screen towards Kise and pointedly tells him, “that’s two hundred yen short.”

“Oh, Sorry.” Kise fidgets and begins checking his pockets for some change, but they all turn up empty.

“Ah, never mind,” Kise tells her with a shake of his head. “I’m not getting the strawberry milk anymore.”

“Here you go.” Split-brows guy, who’s been waiting behind Kise, puts two thousand yen bills on the money tray. “I’ll pay for everything, including these.” He puts two large bags of chips and the apple juice carton on the counter.

“Eh? No, I—” Kise stammers but split-brows guy stops him from saying anything further.

“I insist,” the red head says with a  grin, while he retrieves Kise’s money from the tray. Then Kise freezes on the spot and feels his cheeks catch fire when the red head has suddenly grabbed one of his hands and dropped the change onto his palm.

“Gee… you don’t have to, really…” Kise mumbles, flustered by the stranger’s kindness. Or the warmth of his touch, Kise isn’t entirely sure. Breaking eye contact, he channels all his attention to the cashier lady instead, as she puts his and the red head’s purchases in separate paper bags.

“No biggie.” Kise hears the red head say. “But I’d be disappointed if you didn’t get the strawberry milk.”

 

 

It never escapes Kise how split-brows guy has quickened his steps to proceed ahead and hold out the door for him as they both exit the store, and it’s funny and flattering all the same.

“Thank you,” Kise tells the stranger with a tentative smile, before he sets out to a different direction.

“Told ya. Don’t mention it,” the red head grins back, the angles of his jaws softening.

“Alright.”

“Yeah, no big deal. Totally.”

Kise doesn’t feel like saying something as cliched as goodbye, feels he has nothing more to add, so he just ambles to the direction of the nearest bus stop, clutching the paper bag to his chest. The encounter makes him lighthearted somehow, like his faith in humanity has been properly restored, because of people like split-brows guy, who are unassuming and kind and generous, so unlike Nash and Aomine. He halts his steps, briefly glances back over his shoulders to the red head, and to his surprise, the guy hasn’t moved an inch, but has kept on staring, like he knows Kise will turn his head back to check if he’s still there.

 

 

Because Kagami Taiga can’t help it, he can’t find the will to stop himself from tearing his eyes away from the blond, all the while questioning the universe how a guy can be this illegally charming, with a smile that rivals the brightness of the sun.

And now, the blond has caught him staring and _fuck_ , he must look so, so stupid right now.

“Er—do you need something?” The blond asks, his innocent, golden eyes rendering Kagami’s thoughts frayed.

 _You, your name and your number,_ a voice within him struggles to claw its way out of Kagami’s mouth, fortunately, his self-control is still holding up.

The surprised look on the blond’s face is unmistakable and Kagami feels a burst of panic bubbling in his stomach. But there is no denying of the inexplicable pull he feels towards the blond, a force compelling him to do the stupid, trampling across all logic and feelings of embarrassment. As if his legs have acquired a mind of their own, they make Kagami draw closer to the other guy. Much to his dismay, his tongue, too, has turned traitorous, causing him to blurt out,

“There’s uh… there’s a café nearby so… I was wondering… would you like to have brunch with me?”

The words have their immediate effect, draining off the smile from the guy’s handsome face just as easily, and it’s all too late before Kagami can think things over, before he wishes he’s taken time to polish his thoughts so they won’t fall out weird and creepy.

_Too fucking straightforward, just kill yourself, Taiga!_

“I knew it,” the blond deadpans. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”

“Ha-- what?”

“Acting like some nice guy, letting me have the strawberry milk, paying for my purchases… so you can ask me out and I’ll have a hard time refusing.”

“That’s not it!” Kagami counters, rallying for ways to defend himself but his mind is coming up blank. He looks away helplessly, feeling so small under the weight of the blond’s accusing stare.

He fidgets, mindlessly tugging and adjusting the headphones around his neck. “…You, uh, mentioned empty stomach earlier… and you looked like you just cried so I thought food will cheer you up because that’s what food does… it makes you happy.”

Appalled at what he just said, Kagami wants the ground to swallow him up. There's no saving himself from being a huge, blundering mess.

“You think I just cried?”

Kagami nods. It feels like something he shouldn’t have admitted, he realizes late again, but there’s this loneliness that lurks within the blond’s eyes, something that his smile can’t obscure. Oh well. Honesty is a double-edged sword, he knows damn well that it can make or break the moment, either the blond will put his guard up and dismiss Kagami completely or it can turn the other way around.

A gust of wind blew through them, ruffling the blond’s fine locks. Even with wind-blown hair, he manages to look good. Kagami holds his breath.

The blond’s expression softens, sprouting hope within Kagami’s chest. He remains silent though, chewing on his bottom lip which Kagami finds too cute.

“It’s just brunch, I swear.” Kagami tries, amused at himself for being this bold and persistent, but there’s this magnetic, irresistible force that draws him in, like a helpless moth to a flame.

“You don’t even know me. Why are you buying me stuff all of a sudden?” The blond inquires, skeptical.

“I don’t know,” Kagami replies. _Is it so bad to want your company?_ “I just felt that it’s something I’d like to do.”

“And you want my company.”

It fascinates Kagami, how the blond reads him like an open book. _Fuck_ , perhaps he’s blushing so hard right now. “Okay, that too,” he admits sheepishly.

The blond smiles again, to Kagami’s utter relief, then he says, “fine, fine. But as you found out earlier, I don’t have much so you have to promise you’ll pay for everything.”

“You’ll never have to worry about a single cent,” Kagami says, his heart doing crazy cartwheels inside his rib cage. “I’m Kagami Taiga, by the way. What should I call you?”

“Kise. Kise Ryouta.”

“That’s a cool name,” Kagami remarks. “A Miracle.”

“People usually mention the color yellow. It’s the first time somebody makes note of ‘miracle’.” Kise’s brows quirk up, and the way he says these words tells Kagami that he’s somehow impressed. Kagami mentally pats himself for finally saying something right. Quite glad he’s managed to convince Kise to go, Kagami walks shoulder-to-shoulder with the blond as he leads him to their destination.

Truth is, Kagami’s last meal had only been half an hour earlier, after he’s gone for a quick jog. The whole intention is to spend the day binge watching his favorite TV series while munching snacks so he drops by the convenience store before going back home.

But Kise happened, shaking up his plans, and now Kagami is thankful he’s got a huge appetite, another round of meals poses no problems for him.

 

 

Two blocks away, Kagami and Kise find themselves standing at the entrance of the café, the storefront sign displaying both the Kanji and English characters of the establishment’s name. Kagami reads the English name to his companion. “So here we are. Vanilla Dreams Café.”

“You speak English?” Kise asks.

Kagami pushes the glass door open, the smell of vanilla with a hint of lemongrass beckons them inside. It’s one of Kagami’s go-to dining spot at this side of Osaka because they serve good burgers that are almost as tasty as the ones in his favorite burger joint in Tokyo, plus, the ambiance is really cozy, with wooden walls and chairs and tables, bathed with the warm white glow of countless fairy lights dangling from the ceiling. He leads Kise to the counter to order food.

“Yeah, ‘coz I grew up in the States. You?”

“Yes, because of my job.”

“Oh. What do you do?”

“I travel a lot.”

“Nice.” Kagami doesn’t press further.

Kagami lets Kise order first, mentioning that the beef curry souffle is a must-try. Kise agrees and adds an iced latte. After Kagami receives his food tray, Kise can’t help but comment, “I’m sorry, but are you gonna eat all of those?” Kagami has eight cheese burgers and two plates of souffle pancake on his tray. He presses his lips together and nods before leading Kise to a corner table near a window.

“So, what do you do?” Kise asks, before bringing a forkful of savory souffle to his lips.

“Kitchen boy.”

“Kitchen boy? Like, you cook?”

“Something like that.”

To Kagami’s relief, Kise is quite curious and is naturally chatty, and Kagami doesn’t have to worry about driving the conversation, it just took a direction of its own, allowing him to learn more about Kise though it’s obvious that the blond is still reluctant to share too much information about himself. On the other hand, Kagami willingly answers all of Kise’s questions, tells him that he’s residing in Tokyo and he’s in Osaka on a temporary visit, upon request of a friend, whom he’s been helping with the business. Kise alternates between listening intently and making his thoughts verbally known, all handled with such ease, and it doesn’t take long before Kagami is completely enamored.

Two and a half hours later, they leave the café and Kagami opts to walk with Kise back to the bus stop if just an excuse to spend more time with the blond.

“It’s nice meeting you, Kagamicchi!” Kise chirps. “Thanks for all the free stuff.”

“Wait, did I just get a nickname?”

Kise laughs and explains that people whom he respects get nicknames like that and Kagami can’t find a particular reason for it, but this revelation makes him feel cheerful. Kise’s bus finally arrives, their time together abruptly cut short. He keeps staring again, until Kise disappears inside the bus, until the bus disappears further down the road.

Later, Kagami slaps his forehead hard. He completely forgot to ask for Kise’s number.

 

* * *

 

 It’s 4:20 AM, Singapore time, when Aomine jostles out of bed, having been abruptly awakened by a call from his mom in Tokyo.

“Mom,” he says on the phone groggily, sleep still heavy on his eyelids.

“Daiki, where are you?” The use of his name instead of the usual Dai-chan, the naked panic in her voice coaxes his brain to wakefulness. _Please don’t let this be about grandpa_ , he begs silently, though he knows there can’t be any more reason for his mother to call him at this ungodly hour.

“I’m in Singapore, mom. Did something happen?”

“Oh, Daiki! Grandfather’s sugar levels shot up last night and one of his kidneys failed…” her words falter and he hears her burst into tears.

Aomine sits up on the bed, eyes wide awake in the darkness of his hotel room, a rush of dread washing all over him. He suddenly feels nauseous. “Mom…” He trails off, he can’t continue, he braces himself for the news.

“Shintaro-kun said they’re doing their best to save grandfather but he’s in a very bad state now…”

Aomine palms his face, as he breathes out a loaded sigh. _He’s running out of time_.

“I’m flying back tomorrow morning.”

“Did you find him?”

Something akin to defeat brings a sharp, throbbing pain in his chest. He’s so tired of being asked the same question, of having to answer the same useless reply.

“No,”

“Oh my son,”  his mother pleads. “Stop this futile search.”

“I can’t. I promised grandpa I’ll find my cousin.”

“But what if we’re not meant to find him?”

“Mom, please…”

“Daiki, just come back home. Your grandfather needs you. It’s more important that you stay by his side now.”

Finding no strength to argue any further, Aomine bids his mom goodbye and terminates the call. He throws himself back heavily onto the bed, headache pulsing in his temples, his mom’s question lingering in his mind.

_What if she’s right?_

 

* * *

 

These last few days feel like his body is on auto-pilot mode, devoid of energy and focus.

When he’s supposed to be running the hotel, Aomine’s mind is flying elsewhere, constantly pummeled by worry over his grandfather’s condition, by despair that he can’t keep his vow, by guilt because he can’t concentrate on being at the helm of Touou’s operations right now.

Momoi Satsuki, his Executive Assitant, finds him staring into space when she brings in paperwork to sign and a cup of take-out coffee into his office one afternoon.

“Seriously, Dai-chan, you should get some rest.”

Rigidly shifting from his seat, Aomine gives Momoi a wearisome stare before wordlessly skimming through the printed documents before him.

“I’m not kidding, you look bad right now,” Momoi puts in bluntly, being the sole person on earth who can boss Aomine around and speak to him without holding anything back, despite the fact that it’s Aomine who’s been signing her monthly paycheck. Aomine has known Satsuki since they were kids, and though they argue a lot, friendship and mutual respect have bound them together, having attended the same middle school, high school and university over the years. Smart, witty and driven, she got admitted to elite schools in Tokyo, on scholarship, though she came from a middle-class family unlike Aomine. Even before she leaves university, a job offer has been handed to her by the Touou Hotel Chairman, Aomine’s grandfather.

“Rest or no, it won’t change anything ‘bout my situation,” Aomine grumbles.

“You’ve done enough, stop beating yourself.”

“Grandfather’s condition got worse.”

“Yeah... I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do anymore. I wish I'd stop worrying but I couldn’t. I can’t find my cousin, either.” The admission eases Aomine’s heart a bit, he’s thankful for Satsuki’s listening ear, and mostly for her patience, he knows he can always count on her for the great and smaller things, like when he just needs to vent out his frustrations.

“What happened in Singapore?” She asks.

Aomine tells her that he went to see a certain Mito Hisashi, one of the reported casualties during the 90’s earthquake just like his cousin. Prior to the trip, his hired investigators traced back an orphanage in Sapporo, which kept records that a male infant has indeed been adopted, and the adoptive parents have already migrated to Singapore. When Aomine finally meets the person in question, there are several information that do not add up, Mito Hisashi is significantly older than what Aomine’s real cousin should be and the foster family that took him in is a distant relative of his biological mother. Another case of mistaken identity.

Pausing a bit to take a sip of his coffee, Aomine also tells Satsuki what his mother had told him before he came back to Tokyo.

In all these, Satsuki remains quiet on her chair, one of her elbows cradling her chin. When Aomine finishes, she wears her deep-in-thought face, forehead crinkled, eyes half-narrowed, lips a little pursed.

“Dai-chan, I know finding your cousin to fulfill your grandfather’s wish is so important to you, but your mother could be right, you know? What if—”

“He’s not dead!” Aomine interrupts before she finishes. “Aunt Megumi and her lover’s corpses were recovered from the rubble, but the baby—he’s nowhere. I knew he lived. That’s why grandpa’s still holding on to that hope.”

“I know, Dai-chan. I don’t want you to give up on it either… so, it gets me thinking…” Aomine senses the unusual hesitation of his friend to speak her mind. It isn’t likely for Satsuki to bring her ideas to the table without thinking things through, especially their repercussions, even if the idea she throws may seem out of impulse.

“What if… you just find someone to pretend as your cousin?”

It all sounded like a joke, the whole idea presenting itself as completely outrageous, but one look on his friend’s face and he knows she’s dead set on this.

“What?” He gives Satsuki a confused look, it’s still a little out-of-character for her to suggest this, whom he’s known to be scrupulous in all her dealings. “Wait, you’re serious?"

“Well, time isn’t exactly playing for you right now.” Satsuki points out as she flips her long, sakura hair over her shoulder. “Instead of waiting for the real thing to show up, you can just bring someone to your grandfather now, he’ll finally be at peace and so will you. Before it's too late. That’s all I’m saying.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be at peace, knowing I lied to my grandfather on his deathbed.”

“It’s just a suggestion.”

“Would you do it, Satsuki? Lie to your family?”

Satsuki maintains a straight face. “If you’re asking how far I’d go for my family, then yes. Yes, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

Aomine considers this, the realization that his grandfather might die any instant now weighing like a ton of bricks in his chest, painful, suffocating. In his mind, he hears his grandfather’s pleas, he remembers the old man crying brokenly on his hospital bed, consumed by guilt, begging only for redemption. Aomine has heard from his mother that grandpa had disowned Auntie Megumi, then pregnant, when she chose her lover over her family. Auntie Megumi was thrown out of the house but had occasionally sent letters to grandpa, begging for forgiveness. Because grandpa was too proud back in the day, he never reached out, dismissing her daughter entirely… until news of Auntie Megumi’s death during the earthquake has found its way into the Aomine household.

“Oh my god,” Aomine mumbles under his breath, pressing both heels of his hands against his forehead. “And who in their fucking right mind would do this?”

“I can help you find someone. For sure, there’s always somebody out there  willing to do the dirty job for money…” Satsuki trails off.

He turns to Satsuki and looking at her, it feels like life itself has presented him a choice.

He needs to find his cousin real quick.

Or he finds someone who can act the part.

 _Fucky fuck! Fuck this!_ His mind keeps screaming.

A pair of vivid, golden eyes crying at the airport lobby sweeps into Aomine’s memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Alrighty, BaeKagami is in the game! =D I'm happy to write him again, he's always been one of my super fave basketbaes!  
> We bring these boys to Tokyo next update and move the plot from there. So let me put this chapter before I work on the little projects for the Valentine's Day event at the AoKise Discord; it'll be a busy month, yes, but this baby will always take top priority. Thank you for your patience, hollering at me via the comment box helps a lot!


	5. Cry a Little

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you just ask me to lie to a dying man for money?” Kise barks at Aomine as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Is this how you get even with me for what I did to you at the airport?"

“Kise, pack your bags this instant, I’m sending you to Tokyo!”

It’s his boss, Takeuchi, on the phone.  Kise has just stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from the tips of his freshly-shampooed blond locks.

“Huh? Takeuchi-san, aren’t you mixing up my schedule? I’m booked for Nara-Kyoto today.” Kise reminds the Kaijou chief, carefully balancing the phone in between his ear and shoulder while rubbing his hair vigorously with a towel.

“I know, Kise. I’ll let Kobori take care of your prior booking. You’re going to Tokyo today.” Takeuchi tells him with more urgency in his voice.

“Tokyo? As in now?”

“You’ve been specifically requested by Touou Hotels to be the tour guide for their VVIP clients, the daughter of the Australian Ambassador and her party. Call just came in from the Senior Exec, himself.”

“Wait, Aominecchi?” In his shock, Kise almost drops the phone; the towel, instead, falls to the floor.

“Aomine Daiki, yes. Apparently, he’s quite impressed with your services.”

“Quite impressed?” Kise repeats, completely disbelieving what he just heard from his boss, the memory of his and Aomine’s last encounter flashing in his thoughts. That can’t be, Aomine must be everything else but impressed. Kise remembers too well how Aomine’s face had dissolved from confident to mortified, and though it’s been a few weeks since the incident, Kise still finds himself secretly laughing about it whenever it comes to memory.

“I don’t get it, Takeuchi-san, are you sure he’s requesting me?”

“Why are you so surprised, you’re frequently getting these repeat customers, give yourself some credit.”

“Yeah, but I thought…” _he’ll never forgive me for what I did._ After the airport encounter, Kise had expected that it would be the last he’d ever hear of the Touou Vice-President. He bites his lip, feeling just a tiny bit guilty for what he did to Aomine.

“Kise, you still there?”

“Yeah. Sorry, it’s just a little unexpected.”

“Right, so you’re booked for five days, Touou arranged to cover your accommodation and other incidental expenses.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. Now head out to Tokyo, report immediately as soon as you get there, I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time.”

“Thank you, Takeuchi-san.”

“No need to thank me. You earned it.”

After the call ends, Kise quickly dresses into a pair of jeans, dark-gray button-down shirt and white cardigan. Glancing at the clock, he calculates how much time he needs to get his stuff ready before he leaves for Tokyo and realizes that he doesn’t have much. He heaves out a sigh, rummaging through his cramped dresser for clothes in an almost frenzied pace, telling himself that the uneasiness he feels is largely because he never likes packing his things in a rush and not that he’s worried about what he’s supposed to say to Aomine when they meet again.  

 

* * *

 

While the one in Osaka is stunning on its own, it just won’t compare to the ornately-decorated lobby of the forty-storey Touou Hotel in downtown Tokyo, Kise observes. This one just gleams with opulence, as expected of any five-star hotel in the district. Before proceeding to the information counter, Kise stops by to admire the miniature zen garden with koi pond at the center of the hotel’s lobby, flourishing with beautiful ikebana of delicate white flowers, a sharp contrast against the hotel’s dark granite and quartz walls. For several times in the past, Kise has been a tour guide for guests who are checked-in at this hotel and knowing just how much it costs a night to stay in one of the rooms, he’s honestly excited for the experience. With renewed enthusiasm, Kise takes this as a truce, he’s almost willing to put all grudge and bitterness towards Aomine behind him.

Takeuchi tells Kise to look for Momoi Satsuki, Aomine’s Executive Assistant. Her name strikes an image of a tall, stern-looking woman with sharp features, the kind who wears killer stilettos and color-coordinated pantsuits.

Kise’s only right about the killer stilettos.

“You must be Kise Ryouta! I’m Momoi Satsuki!”

A short girl with doll-like face, waist-long hair of sakura petals spilling from the crown of her head, walks up to him and fervently shakes his hand. She lets out a smile that reaches into the rose-tinted orbs of her eyes, instantly unraveling the anxious knots within Kise’s chest. Kise flashes her a dazzling smile of his own, further noticing how she exudes chic and elegance in that turquoise pencil skirt and sheer white top that tastefully hugs into her curves.

“I’m sorry for the short notice, Kise-san, but we’re in need of your expertise. And Dai-chan has nothing but glowing commendation for your previous stint in Osaka so we immediately got in touch with Kaijou!” She happily reports, as soon as she and Kise are seated across each other in the visitor’s lounge.

“Dai-chan?”

“Oh, he’s actually my baby brother from another mother, I’ve always called him that.”

Kise slowly nods in understanding though he puzzles over the fact that someone as welcoming and as bubbly as this pretty girl in front of him is actually close friends with Aomine Daiki, the epitome of conceit.

“So the guests will be checking in tonight, I suppose you’re told that one of them is the daughter of the Australian Ambassador?” Momoi inquires.

“Yes.”

“Great. Can I see the itinerary you prepared?”

Kise sifts through his bag, pulls out a folder and hands it to Momoi. She skims through all of the pages quickly.

“This is excellent! Dai-chan’s right, you’re meticulous and dependable!”

“He actually said that about me?”

“He did! I guess, he only forgot to mention that you’re supermodel-handsome, too. But you know, he’s not gonna admit that.” Momoi smiles again, a playful twinkle gleaming from her eyes.

Her statement makes Kise flush. His fondness for Momoi Satsuki shoots up a few notches in his favorite people scale. “Thank you, Momoi-san, that’s very kind of you to say.”

“That’s just me being honest.” She then adds, a pensive mournfulness swiftly painting her pretty face, “And I hope you understand why Dai-chan’s not here to meet you personally. His grandpa’s in critical condition right now.”

“So I learned from the hotel manager in Osaka. I’m sorry to hear about Aomine-san’s grandfather, though.”

“He is everything to Dai-chan. After he lost his dad at a young age, his grandpa made sure that he’s well-loved and taken care of. He helped Dai-chan overcome his childhood trauma of suddenly losing a parent.” Momoi says. “He’s been a pillar of strength in Dai-chan’s life since then.”

“I understand. This must be a very difficult time for Aomine-san.” Kise tells her.

“It is. My friend has a lot to worry about, on top of managing Touou.” Momoi sits straighter and folds her hands on to her lap. “Kise-san, before we proceed with business, can I ask you some questions?”

Kise just shrugs. It also doesn’t escape him how Momoi’s gaze has turned serious just now.

She asks random questions about Kise, such as how long he’s been a tour guide and what he’d been doing before becoming one. She also inquires about his family background, if he grew up in Osaka and what his hobbies were. It’s odd that she begins asking these things and Kise can’t figure out what her motives are, but they’re just casual getting-to-know questions, anyway, nothing too personal, so Kise gives her honest answers each time.

Finally satisfied with her inquiry, she gives Kise the card key to his room and ushers him to the guest elevators. “I’m glad you’re here, Kise-san. Dai-chan chose well. I hope you’ll continue to help him.”

“Hey, it’s part of my job. I told Aomine-san before that I’m ready for whatever he throws at me. It’s been an honor to work with Touou Hotels.” Kise reassures her with a bow.

 

* * *

 

Kise did much more than what was expected of him and just like before, his wit and hospitality have delighted the Touou guests. The last five days came by in a rush and before he realized it, his final night in Tokyo has already rolled in.

There’s just one, brief, non-verbal encounter with Aomine in all of the days that he’s in Touou, thank god.

It happened while Kise was herding the guests towards the hotel’s exit one morning when Aomine walked in. It’s nearly impossible to miss Aomine’s midnight-blue hair and the generally imposing persona he exudes despite the handful of people in the lobby that day. Kise lets himself turn and stare for a tad bit longer when Aomine slips into his periphery, and a second later, Aomine catches him in the act.

And Kise swears, the corners of Aomine’s lips quirk into something unexpected, the jerk had smiled.

Not his annoying, I’m-above-all-of-you smirk, but a pure, actual smile.

And it fascinates Kise, how smiling suits Aomine’s face just fine, though he berates himself instantly for letting his thoughts wander into that territory. Not sure how to react, Kise looks away, face heating up, he turns again to the guests and commands himself to focus on his job. Thankfully, Aomine was already gone when he glanced back over his shoulder to check. It’s a relief Kise never chanced upon the Touou Vice-President again after that, there’s only Momoi being nice and thoughtful, always checking on him and making sure he immediately receives full payment for his services as soon as the tour arrangement is over.

On the last day, the guests have left Touou a little past noon time so Kise has the whole afternoon and the rest of the night all to himself. His plan only involves quite a few things--to indulge in the comfort of his suite, soaked in the hot tub for a relaxing bath and emptying the complimentary bottle of champagne while admiring the sparkling views of Tokyo metropolis through the huge glass windows.

Little does he know that the evening will turn out quite the contrary to what he has in mind.

First, the concierge delivers a note, in Touou Hotel’s letter-headed stationery, signed by Aomine himself.

Next, Kise reads, _Please join me for dinner, 8pm, 27th floor._

The word ‘dinner’ seems to explode before his eyes. _Some kind of date?_ Kise keeps re-reading the note, so many questions racing through his head. He wants to call and ask Momoi about it but decides later on that it’s probably not a good idea, it’s just a freaking dinner with Aomine, he probably just want to thank Kise for his services and there shouldn’t be any meaning behind it.

But once again, he remembers Takeuchi and Momoi, rehashing Aomine’s words, nothing but praises for Kise’s hard work.

Also, Aomine smiling at him the other day.

Shaking his head, Kise tells himself to stop overthinking things. He goes over the clothes he’s brought with him and groans when he learns that there isn’t anything half-appropriate for dinner with Touou Hotel’s top executive. He showered and soaked himself in the hot bath for a long time, putting as much fragrant salts into the warm water in the hopes that it will help him relax.

 

* * *

 

When Kise arrives at the 27th floor, his expectations are blown well out of the water.

“I didn’t expect this to be a private dinner, Aominecchi,” Kise says with a shy smile, he thought Aomine had invited him to the hotel’s buffet hall. There’s no other person besides themselves and if it hadn’t been for the lack of candles and an instrumentalist playing music in the background, Kise would think that this, indeed, is a real date.

“Have a seat, Kise.” Aomine simply tells him.

When Aomine lets the nickname slide, Kise accepts it as a good sign. _Perhaps Aominecchi really does want to make amends._

A bountiful, private dinner. Kise takes it all in. His eyes are already feasting as they survey the table: wagyu steak, marinated shrimp with sea urchin and caviar, stewed tuna tendon and a sizeable selection of sashimi that’s almost good for ten people.

“Help yourself,” Aomine says, picking up a pair of chopsticks. Kise does the same, sampling the sashimi platter first.

Kise dabs a small amount of wasabi on top of the fish before dipping it in soy sauce. “Oh my god, this is so delicious!” He exclaims.

“It is. Touou has some of the best chefs.” Aomine says.

Delighted at the opportunity to try everything, Kise has chosen to indulge himself, nevermind how Aomine seems a little too distant and distracted. Of course, it’s his grandfather that Aomine is so worried about, and Kise feels utterly sorry for him. With all his good intentions, Kise tries his best to lighten the mood, chattering about how the last tour arrangement had gone and how the clients had promised to come back to Japan this autumn. Aomine, for the most part, has remained stoic, conversing with mere nods and monosyllables yet there’s something strange in the way he looks at Kise, a curious riddle. While it’s somewhat unsettling, Kise plays it all cool.

“Aominecchi, thanks for letting me do this tour,” Kise remarks, after swallowing a slice of steak. “Also, for saying nice things about me to my boss. I appreciate it so much.”

“You’ve done a good job so far.” Aomine replies. “I’m hoping you’d still want to do more of these… special arrangements in the future?”

“Why, of course! I’d love that!” Come to think of it, Aomine looks forward to involving Kise in Touou’s business in spite of everything that happened between them in the past. The tides have shifted interestingly and it makes Kise glad.

“And Kise, I really want to talk to you about something important,” Aomine confesses, in between sips of peppermint tea. His eyes, all intense and fervent, seem to be so full of words that Kise cannot comprehend.

Feeling the sudden shift in the mood, Kise sits up straighter, returning Aomine’s gaze with equal zeal. For some reason, his brain has gone haywire, the situation appears as if Aomine is about to do something unthinkable, like he’s struggling to work out a love confession. Though barely visible, Kise had very much noticed how oddly agitated his companion is-- the hesitant speech, the too rigid posture, the restless way Aomine’s hands have moved all evening.

 _Stop! It’s utterly, woefully impossible!_ Kise ferociously commands his thoughts to submission, he can’t even tell for sure if Aomine actually swings that way and yet, the question lingers, persistent on its own right-- _what if, what if, what if?_

“It’s about my grandpa.” Aomine sucks in a breath. “He’s dying.”

“Oh,” is all that escapes Kise’s lips, a mixture of empathy and relief (and just an itty bit dismayed) filling his chest as the conversation steers away to a different direction.

“I promised to do something for him, to find his other grandson, my lost cousin. It’s the only thing that he desires.” Aomine continues, his voice subdued with remorse. “I’ve been searching for years but still couldn’t find him.”

“You have a lost cousin?” Kise asks, his interest piqued. This sure is some juicy bit of news about the Aomine family.

Aomine nods. “My aunt, his mother, died during the earthquake years ago. My cousin, only a few months old at that time, was never found.”

“That’s terrible!” It shocks Kise to an extent, he never expects that the Aomine family harbors a tragic story like that. Somehow, Kise feels grateful for the trust Aomine has given him thus far, even revealing this sort of personal issues to Kise though they’re still practically strangers at this point.

“My grandpa’s still hoping we’ll find him someday.”

As if all happiness have been suddenly snuffed out of the room, Kise keeps listening as Aomine vents his heart out. Kise knows this feeling too well, the sincere desire to help your family but no matter how much effort you put, it just wasn’t enough.

“Kise, I’m running out of time… I believe you can help me.” Aomine stares directly into Kise’s eyes, he hesitates before saying, “Please pretend to be my cousin.”

The request derails Kise’s thoughts and jolts him into a tumult of emotions, he wants to fall off from his chair at the absurdity of it.

“If you do it, I’ll pay you 500,000 yen,” Aomine adds without missing a beat, as casual as any of his business deals, bold yet diplomatic that it instantly sets Kise off.

Dumbfounded, Kise does not immediately react, he waits to see if Aomine will deliver a punchline or something that will render his words useless.

Too bad, Aomine doesn’t say anything more.

“Did you just ask me to lie to a dying man for money?” Kise barks at Aomine as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Is this how you get even with me for what I did to you at the airport? That’s all your damn fault for not keeping to your end of the bargain!”

“I know and I’m sorry. Please calm the fuck down.”

 _The gall of this guy!_ Kise can’t believe how Aomine has played him, leading him to a trap, an illusion that they can both put the bad blood behind them once and for all.

“I ain’t doing that, no way! You can take your money and shove it down your ass!” Kise pushes his chair backward and stands up, the sudden movement throws the chair to a loud thud against the floor.

Before Kise reaches the door, Aomine runs after him and seizes his arm.

“Kise, wait. Think about it.”

Kise yanks his arm away. Refusing to believe he even dressed up for this shit, he wants to kick Aomine in the groin. “How dare you! What do you take me for?”

“I came to you because I knew you could help me.”

Kise scoffs. “Why would you do this? Are you cheating your way to your inheritance?”

“No need for me to do that,” Aomine explains with a sigh. “The family fortune’s been handed to me the day I turned 21.”

“Then why? What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing! And I told you already, I’m only doing this for my grandpa. I just want him to find peace before…” Aomine stops mid-sentence, unable to say the words.

“Not gonna happen!” Kise leers with a dismissive shake of his head before furiously marching towards the door. “I’m done here!”

However, the next bargaining chip stops Kise dead on his tracks.

“One million yen, Kise,” Aomine tries again, his voice firm, urgent. “All you have to do is appear before my grandfather, tell him you’re my cousin. And then maybe, cry a little.”

With both fists clenched tightly on his side, Kise turns to face Aomine again, lips drawn back in a snarl. The outrage, the exasperation he struggles to reign in has begun hurting his chest. While his conscience urges him to walk away this instant, the rational, more practical side of himself begs to consider the potential of Aomine’s offer. One million yen is no easy money. If he lets this chance slip away, he can slave himself off as a tour guide and still won’t earn half of the amount in years. Images of his dad, too helpless and naive, crosses his mind, also of Nash and Jason, mocking him.

“Do me a favor, Kise.” Aomine urges him.

“I work my ass off every day because my family’s drowning in debts, Aominecchi.” Kise reveals, his tone, suddenly tremulous. “I really needed that money.”

“Then let’s help each other,” Aomine suggests, taking a cautious step closer towards Kise. “I’ll write you the cheque now.” Wasting no time, he plucks the checkbook out from the breast pocket of his coat and hastily scribbles on a piece of cheque. Kise holds his breath, his brain frayed, his body too stunned for any movement.

“Here. Take it.” Aomine extends his arm out.

Staring into Aomine’s face then into the piece of paper held out to him then back again, Kise’s jaw goes slack as he struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s literally one decision away to solving his money crisis. Kise studies Aomine’s face for a long moment, searching for something he doesn’t quite know exactly. He regards the creases on Aomine’s forehead, the silent plea within his blue eyes thinly veiled by the hardness of his expression.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kise makes the decision. “I’ll do it once. Just once and I’ll never show my face to your grandfather ever again,” Kise declares, before snatching the cheque from Aomine’s outstretched arm.

Aomine nods slowly in agreement. “Thank you, Kise.”

“Don’t thank me yet, we don’t even know how this will work out!” Kise almost yells, realizing how screwed he is. “Look at us!   How do we explain the hair? Plus you’re tanned and I’m fair and who’s stupid enough to fall for this shit?”

“My grandpa trusts me. And we can have fake DNA tests.”

Kise is once again taken aback by the suggestion. The scumbag, a businessman after all,  seems to have thought this through and is just as willing to take the lie as far as his money can get him.

“We have to plan this out, we’ll need an elaborate backstory. I can’t be the perfect copy of someone I haven’t even met.” Kise tells Aomine, sealing the deal once and for all.

At the back of his mind, Kise wonders how he’s going to sleep through the night and all the nights after.

 

 

* * *

 

While waiting, Aomine worries that Kise will turn tails and back-off from the deal. They’ve agreed to meet in some artisan coffee shop at the outskirts of town the next day to plan out their story. When Kise arrives on time, Aomine is greatly relieved, he greets Kise with a small smile but the blond, as haughty as ever, doesn’t smile back, he just slumps heavily onto his seat with a grumble. After their coffees were served, they began the discussion.

“So tell me everything about this auntie and her kid,” Kise begins, opening his backpack and pulling out a pen and a notebook. Aomine raises both eyebrows, amused over the fact that Kise would actually want to take down notes.

“What? I need to write everything down! I think you should, too! One slip and we’re done for!” Kise reminds him with a sharp glare.

“Just share your notes with me later,” Aomine says with a lazy drawl. He then shows Kise a photo, already creased and a little tattered at the edges, of a woman with the same vivid blue hair as his. She’s smiling brightly at the camera while holding a sleeping infant, hardly a year old, close to her chest. “This is Aunt Megumi and her son, Takara.”

“We’re in luck, the child hasn’t grown his hair yet,” Kise observes.

“And the Aomines have naturally pale skin so you can tick that off your worry list.” Aomine points to her aunt and the baby. “My tan came from my mom’s genes, she has Indian descent.”

Kise nods. “At least we have a better shot at this.”

Aomine tells him of his aunt’s history, how she was cut off from the family, and that she occasionally sent letters to her father including that one photo, how the family had found out she’s killed in the earthquake but her son’s body was never found.

“Only her corpse was recovered from the rubble along with an unidentified male victim presumed to be her lover. They were never married and because grandpa was too angry before, he neither saw him nor knew of his family name. In one of Aunt Megumi’s letters, she called him Kyohei. There’s a big possibility that my cousin and  his father are still alive but without the exact names, the search gets too difficult.” Aomine explains as he drinks from his cup of latte.

“‘kay...” Kise writes down all the details in bullets onto his notebook. “So how did you find me?”

“I’m thinking of finding your records in an orphanage in Sendai. You were adopted by the Kise family.”

“And I always knew I was adopted, my adoptive parents had already told me when I was old enough to understand,” Kise supplies, always quick on the uptake. “I’m curious to find my real family but I don’t know how and where to look.”

Satisfied that Kise is finally on the same wavelength as his, Aomine continues, “And you’ve lead a good life, your adoptive parents raised you the best they could, sending you to study abroad all the time.”

“I’m a college drop-out, Aominecchi. This should be as close to my real life as possible.” Kise says with a frown. “How about my adoptive parents divorced when I was 12. My father and I moved around a lot all over Japan.”

“Sure. If that makes it a lot easier for you.”

“Because of my dad’s job, we never stayed in one place.”

“And then I found you in Osaka. We did some DNA tests. It’s a match.”

“Like a nice pair of socks.” Kise continues jotting down notes. He pauses to sip coffee from his cup before writing again. After a while, he lifts his head and asks, “so when do I get to meet my grandfather?”

Kise’s question reassures Aomine that the hardest part, convincing the blond to play the role of his lost cousin, is quite over. They can do this. It’ll work, for sure.

“As soon as you’re ready, cousin,” Aomine answers him.  

 

* * *

 

The plan should be easy, Aomine could see it all happening in his head.

So he’ll bring Kise to the hospital early in the morning with less chance of people seeing them, they’ll wait for his grandpa to wake up, he’ll introduce Kise, let them talk for a bit then leave.

“Don’t forget, you’re Aomine Takara for now. You were taken to the orphanage in Sendai after the Osaka earthquake.” Aomine reminds Kise as they walk slowly through the hospital corridors.

“Yeah.”

“You were raised alone by your adoptive father.”

“Yeah, pretty much the same as the real me.”

“And I came to your apartment in Osaka one night and introduced myself as your cousin. I told you I’ve been looking for you for years.”

“Got it.”

When they’re finally standing by the door of grandpa’s room, Aomine pauses and whispers to Kise’s ear, “...This is it, Kise. Remember everything I told you. And tell grandpa that you have a job, you’re self-supporting and very happy with your life so he’d stop worrying about you and--”

“Aominecchi, I got it, okay?” Kise interrupts, looking a bit annoyed. “Stop being a mother hen, you’re not helping!”

“I just want everything to run smoothly!”

“You seem nervous. If you are, then maybe we should just put this off for another day.”

“I’m not. Let’s get over this now.”

“Good point. I want this to be my last encounter with you.”

Aomine lets the blond run away with the snark, after all, the success of this mission lies within his hands. Breathing in a mouthful of air, Aomine pushes the door open and lets Kise inside.

Grandpa’s room is pretty much a hotel room in itself, with a receiving area, a coffee nook and a minibar for visitors, and an inner room with a glass-paned wall for the patient. As expected, grandpa is still asleep. After asking the nursing aide to leave them for a while, Aomine instructs Kise to stay in the receiving area while he goes into his grandpa’s room to wait for the old man to wake up.

Seeing his grandfather so frail since the last time he’s been here wrenches Aomine’s heart. He bites the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Remembering what he’s here for, he tunes out the guilty voices screaming madly inside his head. Aomine’s only saving grace lies in the hope that it will finally bring relief to his grandfather, once he found out that his other grandson is very much alive and well.

Almost half an hour later, his grandfather stirs to wakefulness. He blinks slowly before catching his grandson’s eyes.

“Grandpa,” Aomine calls. “It’s me, Daiki.”

“Dai-ki…”

“Grandpa, I have good news.” Aomine puts on the most sincere smile he can come up with. “I found him. My cousin is finally here.”

His grandpa only stares at Aomine with his mouth open. For a moment, Aomine beckons for Kise to come into grandpa’s room and he lets Kise sit on the chair close to the patient’s bed so grandpa can take a closer look.

“Grandfather,” Kise utters on cue while Aomine stands beside him.

Instantly, grandpa’s eyes widen. “Takara? Is it really you?”

“Yes, grandpa. It’s me.”

“My child! My dear child!” The older Aomine weakly lifts his free arm, the one that is not hooked to an IV, to reach for Kise’s face. Kise immediately catches his raddled hand and squeezes it lightly.

“Please forgive me… what I did to you and your mother…” Tears started flowing from the corners of Aomine Sato’s eyes. “She died… because of me…”

“I’m sorry, my child,” grandpa repeats over and over before a broken wail escapes him. Aomine looks away, it hurts him to see this.

“Grandpa…” Kise whispers, still clutching the old man’s hand. “It’s alright… I’m sure mother has forgiven you a long time ago.”

From where Aomine stands, he can’t get a view of Kise’s face but by the way his voice breaks, Aomine is pretty sure Kise’s been crying, too.

“I thought… this moment will never happen--” grandpa says. “I waited for you for a long time.”

“I’m here for you now, grandpa. No more waiting.” Kise reassures the older Aomine, gently rubbing the old man’s arm for comfort.

Grandpa begins coughing hoarsely which brings Aomine and Kise to a panic. Aomine had called for a nurse, who had checked and confirmed the sudden spike in grandpa’s blood pressure and quickly applied versed solution to calm his nerves.

“I am so tired, Takara, I wish I can spend more time with you…” grandpa rasps, blinking back the heaviness within his eyes.

“Me too, grandpa.”

“I hope you’re still here when I wake up.”

“Yes, grandpa, I’ll be right here. Please get some rest.”

Then Aomine Sato goes to sleep again.

Kise stands up from his seat and bolts from the room. Aomine trails after him.

Aomine peers at Kise’s face and finds that the blond’s eyes and the tip of his nose are red from crying. He had to give it to Kise, he was convincingly good. Aomine hates to admit it but the scene made him teary-eyed as well.

“Fuck.” The blond spits out a curse, rubbing both eyes with the back of his hands as soon as they were out of grandpa’s earshot. “This is so fucked up.”

Aomine doesn’t have to voice out his agreement.

“Your grandfather doesn’t deserve this, Aominecchi.” Kise hisses, both bitter and acerbic. Guilt sets in and it isn’t looking good.

“It’s almost over now, Kise. After grandpa wakes up, we’ll tell him you’re leaving Japan for a while.”

Before Kise can retaliate, they heard the slow squeak of the doorknob. Aomine gasps as soon as the door swings open.

“Mom. What are you doing here?”

The lady with remarkable bronze skin and coiffed black hair stares back at her son with a slight frown. “What, that’s my father-in-law right there!” She stops, focusing her attention to the stranger beside Aomine.

“Oh, and who is this? Wait… Dai-chan, is he--” Covering her mouth in astonishment, she doesn’t finish her sentence, realization dawning on her quickly.

“Yes, Mom. It’s none other than Takara. He goes by the name Kise Ryouta now.” Aomine responds. “Kise, this is my mom, Aomine Sayuri.”

“Oh my god, your cousin!” She throws herself onto Kise, much to his surprise. “You’re alive! We’ve been searching for you for a long time!” She wraps Kise in a tight hug.

Kise embraces her back and while doing so, he throws Aomine a perturbed expression. Aomine just shakes his head, telepathically messaging Kise to just play along.

“Dai-chan, why didn’t you tell me you found Takara already?” Sayuri glowers at her son.

“Sorry, Mom. I thought grandpa should know first,” Aomine says.

She dismisses Aomine and turns back to Kise. “My dear child, look at you!” There are sudden tears springing from her toffee-colored eyes. “I’m so happy you’re here now!”

“I’m happy too, Sayuri-san.”

“Oh, please! Call me Auntie Sayu!”

“Auntie Sayu, then.”

Sayuri lifts both her hands to cup Kise’s face. She eyes Kise for a long moment before commenting, “Hmm, you don’t take after your mother so much but you are as beautiful as she was!”

A shy smile lights up Kise’s features. “You surprise me just as much, Auntie Sayu. At first, I thought you’re Aominecchi’s older sister.”

“Oh!” Aomine’s mother laughs coyly. “That’s so sweet of you to say, Takara--or should I call you Ryou-chan?”

“If it pleases you, Auntie. Ryou is okay.”

“What a darling you are, Ryou-chan! And you called this brat ‘Aominecchi’, you two, cousins, must be getting along pretty well,” She points out with fondness. “Has your grandpa seen you already?”

Aomine tells his mother that they already talked earlier before grandpa went back to sleep.

“That’s wonderful!” Sayuri exclaims, before holding onto Kise and Aomine’s arms and pulling them down both to the couch, with herself snugly sandwiched between the two boys.

“While grandpa sleeps, why don’t you two fill me with the rest of what happened?”

Aomine and Kise have exchanged bewildered looks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 20K+ words, yay! Thanks to everyone who is still reading this! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yay or nay, please let me know?


	6. On Common Grounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pushed to a proverbial dead-end, Kise makes a decision that’s bound to complicate things up for him and Aomine.

Sitting cross-legged on one of the floor cushions, Kise merely stares while his phone buzzes incessantly as it lies untouched on the kotatsu table at the living room of his friend’s apartment.

After a full minute, the ringing stops. But instead of relaxing, Kise groans as if somebody just punched him in the gut.

He hasn’t returned to Osaka yet, for complicated reasons, the repercussions of his and Aomine’s fabricated stories mercilessly hammering on his mind and conscience non-stop since meeting Aomine’s grandfather. With no desire to stay another day in Touou despite the privileges granted to him courtesy of his insufferable partner-in-crime, his new-found cousin, Kise had sought the help of his friend, Takao Kazunari, for temporary refuge in the bustling city of Tokyo. Thankfully, Takao willingly accepts and welcomes Kise into his apartment while the latter  has been busy figuring out how to deal with the mess he’s gotten himself into.

“The hell Ki-chan, why aren’t you taking the call?” Takao walks into the living room, both hands planted on either side of his hips. “They’ve been calling you all morning but you keep on ignoring them. Rude!”

“Takaocchi, I’m doomed,” Kise says wearily.

“Why, what’s wrong?” With a frown, Takao steps closer and sits by Kise’s side. “You came here too upset last night, I didn’t ask right away ‘coz I thought you needed some rest before we talk about it.”

“I did something horrible.” Kise bites down on his bottom lip while holding Takao’s gaze before adding, “real bad.”

“What, did you kill somebody?”

“No. But I wish I could.”

The phone blips for an incoming message, drawing both Kise and Takao’s attention to it. Curious, Takao grabs the device.

“Don’t!” Kise shrieks in panic, lunging in to wrestle the phone out of Takao’s hands. He fails, as Takao easily dodges his attack, the raven’s open palm meeting his face and shoving it away.

With his free hand, Takao surveys the phone’s display.

> **_Ahominecchi_**
> 
> **_24 missed calls, 11 unread messages_ **

“Ahominecchi? Who is this?” Takao asks, shooting Kise a suspicious look.

“The bane of my existence, ugh!” Kise replies with another groan, burying his face in his hands.

Takao rolls his eyes and puts back the phone on the table. “Stop being a drama queen and tell me what’s going on, will you?”

Only wanting to ease his conscience for a bit, Kise confesses to Takao, every major event leading to his current situation vividly described in detail.

“Holy shit, Ki-chan. I’ve only heard about fake boyfriends but fake cousins? With a total stranger? That’s reckless!” Takao comments with one perfectly arched eyebrow raised. “And dumb.”

“I know!” Kise heaves out a loaded sigh. He also tells his friend how the ruse with Aomine seems to convince his grandfather and mother so well, how they pretty much believed and accepted Aomine’s ‘positive DNA results’ spiel and not asking too many questions after.

“It worked?”

“It seemed to do the trick, yes.”

The look that Takao gives him makes Kise wince, a harsh judgment clearly visible in those blue eyes of his. Somehow, Kise nearly keels when he hears the next words that have tumbled out of Takao’s lips.

“So…this cousin of yours…” he makes air quotes with his fingers as he says ‘cousin’, “Is he cute?”

“Oh my god, Takaocchi, how he looks like isn’t relevant at all!” Kise glares at his friend, it baffles him that out of everything he’s told Takao, this was the question he came up with.

“Okay, let me rephrase. Do you think he’s cute?”

“What the fuck, why are you suddenly asking me this nonsense?”

“Nonsense my ass, you can’t even answer me!” Takao grins wickedly, much to Kise’s annoyance.

Though he’s nettled by Takao’s teasing jabs, Kise pauses to consider the question. Sure, Aomine’s got the tall-and-dark bachelor package, and Kise’s not going to lie to himself, he definitely assumes Aomine is well-built under those classy, designer suits that he wears. Not to mention, the pair of intense midnight-blue eyes that seem to stare into Kise’s soul deems remarkable about him, but other than those, Aomine isn’t that… special-looking.

“Well, he’s cute but not ruin-your-life-cute,” Kise concludes. “I’ve seen far more handsome men.”

Takao squints. “You mean to say, not as good-looking as you but acceptable enough, face value wise. You sure you’re not in love with him? That’s why you didn’t turn his offer down?”

“Fuck, no! The hell’s wrong with you?” Kise argues vehemently, his face crumpling into an exaggerated look of repulsion while Takao chuckles. “I only did it for the million, okay? I hate him!”

“Because?”

“Hello, because this was all his fault? Because he dragged me into this mess?”

“The way I see it, Ki-chan, you’re to blame, too, you’ve let it happen.”

As much as he wants for Takao to take on his side, it hurts to hear the truth coming from the mouth of his friend. No matter which angle Kise views the circumstance in, he’s equally as at fault as Aomine here.

Before either of the boys can say anything more, Kise’s phone buzzes again. This time, Kise taps the reject call icon, opens one of Aomine’s unread messages and shows it to Takao. 

> _Get in here, grandpa wants to see you. PLEASE._

“It’s supposed to be a one-shot deal. I don’t want to lie to the old man anymore,” Kise admits in a quiet voice.

“Well, I’ll get myself a bucket of popcorn. I need to see where this goes,” Takao responds jokingly.

“You’re a shit, you know that?”

“Says the one who’s in actual deep shit.”

Kise turns away from Takao and hugs his knees to his chest. He’s got no energy anymore, all he wants is to crawl into a hole and stay there forever.

“Ki-chan...” Noticing he had struck a nerve there, Takao drops his charade, presses a gentle hand on Kise’s shoulder and tells him to focus on the silver lining of the situation. “You helped your dad, your debts are all paid now and you brought relief to a dying man’s heart before… y’know. It isn’t the best excuse and it probably makes you feel guiltier but you have to move forward from this. Own up to your mistakes, okay?”

“It isn’t that easy.” Kise frowns.

“Nobody said it would be. But you have to learn from this and move on.” Takao says. “Do what you need to do.”

 

* * *

 

When Kise comes back from the hospital that evening, Takao is waiting for him, thirsty for news on Kise’s fake family.

“So, how’d it go?” Takao asks, searching for clues within Kise’s expressive golden eyes.

Kise nervously carding his hair before letting out an audible sigh is a dead giveaway.

“I-- I chickened. I can’t do it today, Takaocchi.” Kise stands rigid but his voice wavers as he speaks. “They were so, so happy… grandfather, especially. I don’t have it in me to break his heart.”

Takao nods. As much as he wants to speak his mind, the better part of himself realizes he’s not in the position to judge Kise’s life choices. Through all the years he’s been friends with Kise, Takao has come to appreciate the blond’s empathy and wit. His actions may seem impulsive on the surface but Takao knows Kise is one who weighs his decisions thoroughly against both reason and emotions. For whatever mess this is, Takao believes his friend can crawl out of it unscathed.

“I’m a bad person,” Kise’s voice drops to a whisper, eyes closing, squeezing shut for a moment.

Pulling Kise’s arm, Takao smiles and leads him to the dinner table. “Shush, no. You did what you think is best. C’mon, let’s eat. We  got your favorite onion gratin soup!”

It cheers Takao, seeing his friend smile for the first time that day.

 

* * *

 

For several days on end, Kise finds himself spending most of his time at the Mitsui Memorial Hospital, on request of Aomine’s grandfather, who consistently looks and asks for him whenever he’s not around.

The guilt weighing on his shoulders rather than the effort of playing the part of the grandson wreaks much difficulty, but then, he remembers what Takao has told him and it eases his heart a bit.

It takes a while before Kise slowly learns to cope up with his predicament, and rather than feeling upset over the deception, he convinces himself to find solace over the fact that his mere presence seems to greatly brighten the old man’s day and that he’s simply doing this for business purposes. Aomine has not had a say to anything so far so Kise accepts this as a go to continue pretending to be Aomine Takara, choosing his words with measured diligence all the time so as not to blow his cover.

He answers all of Sato and Sayuri’s questions about his childhood, his current job as a tour guide and whether they were too gullible or they simply trust Aomine too much, it astonishes Kise to no ends that they hang on to every word he tells them. As much as possible, Kise remembers to share only stories about himself that are true, filtering out details that may give him out, steering the conversation way ahead before the grandfather or the auntie get any ideas.

Discreetly, Kise bids his time, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to break it gently to Aomine’s grandfather, that he needs to leave Japan for a few years to live abroad with his adoptive dad. How he’s going to pull it off, Kise has not the slightest idea, but the most important thing to him now is to cut all ties to the Aomine family as quickly and as peacefully as possible. That’ll be his graceful exit. Maybe he’ll still write letters to Grandpa and to Aunt Sayu, but he’ll never show his face before them again.

So today, he proceeds with business. With a fresh bouquet of peonies and roses (to be reimbursed by his rich-ass cousin later), Kise knocks against the door to grandfather’s room, his million-yen smile well-worn on his lips moments before the door cracks open.

“Ryou-chan, come, we’ve been waiting for you!” It’s Auntie Sayu who meets him and ushers him inside before she announces Kise’s arrival like a kid excitedly showing off a new doll. “Dai-chan, Otou-san, Ryou-chan is here!”

Upon seeing him, grandfather brightens exceedingly. Kise bows his head in courtesy before his eyes wandered off to find Aomine, who greets Kise with no words but a scowl, the only one in the family who doesn’t look too happy to see him. Miffed, Kise pulls a face, making sure that Aomine gets the message that he’s not enthused to be in here either.

He’s arrived while the physician is in the middle of discussing grandpa’s condition. Kise beams at the matcha-haired doctor, reads ‘Dr. Midorima Shintarou’ on the nameplate pinned to his pristinely white lab coat, a stethoscope looped around his neck. Kise has heard that Midorima’s the best heart surgeon in Japan, it came as a shock to Kise that said doctor is this young to have achieved such status in his field.

“As what I’ve been saying earlier, the latest MRI showed outstanding developments,” is what Dr. Midorima says. “The inflammation of the membrane around the patient’s heart has subsided dramatically, a strong indication that the patient’s on the way to recovery.”

“Oh, thank God!” Sayuri gasps, wide-eyed, both hands clapped over her mouth. “Otou-san, did you hear? What amazing news!”

Relaxed on his bed, Sato nods, a hint of a smile crossing his pale lips. “All thanks to my Ryouta here,” Sato whispers, glancing up at Kise with so much fondness.

“But I didn’t do anything, Grandpa,” Kise puts in quickly with a nervous smile, and at that, he wants to melt in shame, having been credited for something he utterly does not deserve.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle, honestly,” Dr. Midorima finally acknowledges Kise, “how your arrival has turned the situation around. There can be no better explanation.”

“You saved your Grandpa, Ryou-chan!” Sayuri squeezes one of Kise’s arms, tears forming on the edges of her eyes. She then tugs at the hand of his son. “And my Dai-chan, too! If you didn’t work so hard to bring your cousin home--”

“Ain’t a big deal, Mom.” Aomine mumbles, avoiding his mother’s eyes.

“I am blessed to have my family, Shintaro-kun. There’s nothing more I could ask for,” the older Aomine declares.

“It is certain. Fate has been good to you lately, Grandfather,” the doctor agrees. Then he looks at every member of the Aomine family in the eye to get his point across. “If this continues and we manage to keep Grandpa’s blood pressure and glucose levels in check, we can get him to cardiac rehab soon. But of course, we can’t completely rule out the danger, his condition demands optimum care from this point onwards. Keep him away from stressful situations as much as possible.”

“Of course,” Aomine assures the rest of his family more than he does the doctor. “Thanks, Midorima.”

 

* * *

  
Minutes trickle by but Kise is patient when he needs to. The graceful exit he’s had in mind slowly takes form, and with the news that Aomine’s grandfather is on the road to recovery, it’s almost within Kise’s grasp.

After all the guilt and the bitterness he’s harbored lately, everything coming down to improvement of Aomine Sato’s health has all been worth it, there’s finally something redemptive to all the lies Kise has told. Now, Kise can breathe easier, he’ll be sure to sleep better at night. And will he miss his pretend family? Maybe a little, he tells himself, though he’ll just be happy to slip out of their lives entirely.

“We’re sure to be going home soon, aren’t we, Otou-san?” Auntie Sayuri trills. “At long last!”

“Indeed, Sayuri. I cannot wait to be back home,” Grandpa replies, the corners of his lips lifting. “Now I can get to know my grandson more.” Sato peers at Kise, who squirms rather uncomfortably in his corner.

“Oh yes, Grandpa!” Kise puts in with as much cheerfulness, quickly recovering from the implicit meaning behind Sato’s last remark. He hopes for the best before saying, “I’ll be sure to call and write letters to you and Auntie often!”

“Write letters?” Grandpa repeats, perturbed, as if it’s the strangest thing he’s heard.

“I’ll be--uh, leaving Japan for a little while--” Kise feigns being skeptical, he licks his lips nervously before averting his gaze and glancing into Aomine’s direction, silently begging for his help. “Didn’t Aominecchi tell you?”

Aomine gets caught off guard, his expression hardens for a brief moment, fortunately for Kise, he’s caught on the message. “Yes, Grandpa. I was told before he’s got plans to live abroad with his old man.”

“To where?” Sayuri asks.

“In South Korea,” Kise blurts out the first thing that came to his mind. “He’s uh, in the lending business, the company he works for is looking to expand overseas.”

“If this is for career growth, he doesn’t need to leave the country,” Grandpa points out. “I’ll have a word with  the Chairman of the Akashi Financial Group, they’ll always make room for hardworking employees such as your father.”

“No, that’s totally not necessary, Grandpa! Please don’t trouble yourself over this,” Kise tells him, keeping his anxiousness at bay.

“You can’t be leaving so soon, Ryou-chan! Not when we just found you!” Sayuri is also in distress.

“I’m sorry, Auntie, but I have to, my dad needs me,” Kise says and all be damned, he’s got to do this now, all these lies must end here. Grandfather’s face shrivels up like a flower during dry season and it takes much of Kise’s will to stay firm in his resolve.

“But can’t you stay a little longer with us, _Takara_? Please?” Sato grips the side handles of his bed, tries to pull himself to sit up but he wasn’t strong enough for the task, causing Aomine, Kise and Sayuri to hover all over him immediately.

Kise’s breath hitches, his inner self scrambling in panic at how fast the situation is getting out of hand. What he fears most is slowly unfolding before his eyes and he hates to admit it but his mind’s coming up blank.

“Ryou-chan, will you let me speak to your adoptive dad? I’m sure he’ll understand if we want to be with you longer,” Sayuri suggests.

“No, please no!” Kise cries in alarm, forgetting himself for a second.

Sayuri is about to say something but thankfully, Aomine has decided to step up and cuts her off. “Mom, Grandpa, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Kise’s dad, alright?”

“Yes, Dai-chan, please do.” Sayuri nods fondly at her son.

“Auntie Sayu, Grandpa, please don’t get me wrong, I’ve been so happy when Aominecchi found me. Now I know who my real family is and I wish to spend more time with all of you, too, but my dad, all he’s left with is me.” Kise explains in a hurry, voice teetering, not quite caring at all if his act is no longer holding up.

Heavy silence blankets all four of them in that hospital room, unsaid words that were hidden behind brief glances and slight nods.

Sato’s blue eyes then fix on him, as if attempting to peel off the layers of every lie Kise has told, sending a thousand butterflies to flutter angrily in his stomach. He notices they’re the same ones that Aomine had used on him weeks ago, only this time they’re softer, sadder, more desperate. Even before Sato opens his mouth, Kise feels as if the wind has long been knocked out of him.

“All I ask is a little more of your time, _Takara--”_ then Grandpa corrects himself, “Ryouta. Do it for me.”

“I--” Kise drags the words out his throat, panic rising from the pit of his stomach as three pairs of eyes wait for him to respond. “I have to think this through, I’m sorry, please excuse me--”

Kise abruptly stands up and makes a run for the door.

 

* * *

  
The heaviness of his footsteps echoes through the hospital’s quiet halls, a stark contrast to the wild pounding of his heart inside his ribcage.

There’s anger. So much anger.

“Kise!” Aomine calls after him but Kise quickens his pace, if he talks to this jerkface right now, he might just not be able to control himself.

“Kise!” The tanned man has seized one of his arms forcibly, spinning him around. “What the hell’s your problem?”

“My problem? You want to know what my problem is?!” Kise says through gritted teeth, the urge to scream dangerously suspended at the tip of his tongue as he remembers they’re in a hospital. “Why aren’t you saying anything to your family? You left me hanging in there, you ass!”

“You could’ve waited until Grandpa gets better before pulling off that stunt! Didn’t you hear Midorima? Are you stupid or what?”

“You know full well that I can’t stay! I can’t lie forever!”

“Look, I didn’t expect his health to improve after seeing you. I’m lost here just as you are.”

Kise shakes his head and furiously stomps back towards Grandpa’s room. “This ends here.”

“Hey, what will you do?”

“I’m going to tell them the truth!”

“Are you fucking out of your mind?” Aomine hisses, his tone hushed yet sharp and menacing. He marches ahead of Kise, purposefully blocking his way, both hands braced on either of Kise’s shoulders in a vice-like grip. “He’s not fully recovered, the truth might just kill him, do you want that in your conscience, huh?”

“No,” Kise huffs, snapping on and off from his angry streak. “How dare you put this on me!”

Of course, he doesn’t want that.  The old man seemed to have suffered a great deal, he doesn’t deserve to be lied to and if Kise could, he’d willingly share a part of his lifespan to Aomine Sato, even if they’re not related, to give the poor man a chance to find and be happy with his real grandson.

Neither of them have realized that Sayuri has caught on them, Kise is sure his face has been drained of all the color by now.

“Dai-chan, Ryou-chan, are you arguing?”

Bewildered, Kise notices how Aomine’s jaw had unclenched slightly before turning to his mother.

“No, Mom, we’re most definitely not arguing.” Aomine releases an exhale, but instead of keeping his hands off from Kise’s shoulders, Aomine proceeds to invade his personal space, an arm circling around Kise’s neck, clumsily pulling him into Aomine’s side. For the briefest of moments, Kise gets distracted, they are so close he gets a whiff of the crisp, citrus-and-spice notes of Aomine’s aftershave.

“We’re not arguing,” Aomine repeats, forcing a smile to his lips, pulling Kise closer. “We’re good… right, Kise?”

“Eh, yes, Auntie!” Kise plays along, reaching for Aomine’s shoulder as well. “Don’t worry!”

Sayuri blinks, her face deadpan, an obvious indication that she isn’t convinced at all. She ambles closer towards her son and Kise.

“I saw what you’ve done there and that is not the way to treat your cousin, Dai-chan, you’ll just push him away.” She scolds her son sternly.

Guilty as charged, Aomine releases his hold on Kise, removing his arm from the blond’s neck and stepping aside to give way to a manageable distance between them.

“We need to talk, follow me.” She walks ahead of the boys towards the hospital’s elevators.

After Aomine drives the three of them to his mother’s favored coffee shop, Kise finds himself sitting across the table from Sayuri and her son. Kise’s eyes shift from Sayuri then to the cup of latte in front of him, unable to make himself drink, for fear that the butterflies in his stomach, now flittering aggressively, will make him throw up.

“Mom, I think we ought to give Kise a little time,” Aomine suggests but his mother does not react, as if she heard nothing.

Sayuri raises her cup, pinky finger lifted in the air, her eyes never leaving the blond. Kise valiantly meets her gaze, noticing for the first time the fine lines on the skin around her deep-set eyes, the primness of her nose, the rise of her cheekbones lightly dusted by the rose blush of her make-up, bringing out the glow on her face despite the rich ombre of her skin.

Kise thinks, while Aomine is just okay-looking, his mom has a very unique beauty about her.

When Sayuri replaces her cup on the table, her expression becomes solemn.

“Ryou-chan, your grandfather suffered so much over the years since learning the death of your mother. Otou-san knew the cost of his cruelty, the life of his only daughter, and he’s never stopped blaming himself for it. He became depressed, we thought he’s not going to recover from the slump. And then he obsessed himself with finding you. Even after so many years, so many failed searches without leads, still, he’s held on to hope that you’re alive,” Sayuri explains.

Kise fists the hem of his shirt and looks down. He’s got nothing to say to that.

“Often, he finds a way to bring you up in a conversation, wondering where you are, if you’re safe and comfortable elsewhere, if your new family is treating you well. He’s celebrated your birthday year after year, you will never know how much tears your grandfather has shed for you.” She sits right up, her left hand touching the side of her willowy neck.

“Shortly after losing your mother, fate also took his son away.” At this, tears shimmer in Sayuri’s eyes, her voice strained. “You and Dai-chan, you’re the only ones left in his family. Please, Ryou-chan. Stay for a while, at least until he’s completely healed.”

Kise’s mouth feels like it’s been filled with sand. Before he can form words in his mind, his phone begins ringing loudly from his pocket, he isn’t sure if he’ll be grateful for the sudden interruption. Upon seeing the screen, his heart lurches to his throat.

“Who is it?” Sayuri inquires with a frown.

“My dad,” Kise answers without thinking. The effect of the slip-up dawns on him too late, his mind doing the overdrive as his thumb swipes the decline icon. With his nerves in frenzy, he shoves the phone back inside his pocket and makes a grab for the luke-warm cup of coffee, chugging half of its contents in one gulp.

“Why didn’t you answer his call?” Sayuri prods. Aomine beside her simply stares, mouth wide open.

Shaking his head, Kise tells her, “It’s probably not important.”

Yet his phone rings again, mocking him.

“Nothing can’t be more important than family. Ask how he was and let me talk to him.”

As he plasters a weak smile on his face, a thousand curse words burst in his brain. He taps ‘Accept call’, reluctantly bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Dad.”

_(Ryou, I’ll never believe you’ve already paid all our debts! You are my miracle!”)_

“Yeah.”

_(When are you coming back to your apartment? We ought to celebrate! Your dad’s treat!)_

“What, it’s fine...” Kise glimpses at mother and son from across the table, Sayuri, earnest for the chance to discuss Kise’s situation with his father while Aomine glowers at him. “Dad, listen. There’s a-- someone who likes to speak to you now.”

_(Oh, who?)_

“Hello, Dad? What?”

_(Who is it Ryou?)_

“I can’t hear you, Dad, what? I said someone would like to speak to you. It’s Aunt Sayu.”

_(Aunt? Who’s Aunt Sayu?)_

"Sorry, Dad, what was that?”

_(Who’s Aunt Sayu, what aunt are you talking about?)_

“I can’t hear you… reception’s choppy… you still there, Dad? Hello?” Kise fakes distress over the call, voice booming that several people from nearby tables have turned their attention to him. “I’m sorry, I’ll call you later. Bye, Dad.”

Allowing his brows to knit together in false confusion, Kise ends the call, clucks his tongue then tells Sayuri, “Sorry Auntie, line’s terrible, perhaps you and dad can talk some other time?”

He’ll get Takao to pretend to be his dad, he’s a great friend, they’ve had each other’s back over the years. Kise is so sure that Takao is the kind of friend that if Kise were to murder someone, Takao will help him bury the body before asking questions and beating Kise to a pulp. But Kise can always count on him for help.

“Oh, alright,” Sayuri says dejectedly as she leans back against her chair and tucks a stray lock of wavy hair behind an ear. “Ryou-chan, will you consider staying in Tokyo?”

Her pleading eyes, wide and earnest, tugs into Kise’s heart.

“Auntie, my dad needs me, too…” Before he can even finish speaking, Aomine kicks him in the shin from under the table. Kise bites back a curse, struggles to keep a straight face and retaliates by kicking Aomine back.

“...But for Grandpa, I’ll do it. I’ll stay a little longer.”

At the wake of his words, Sayuri smiles as if she’s just won the lottery.

“Thank you!” Sayuri reaches to capture Kise’s hands in hers, squeezing them tight.

Strangely, his heart has stopped pounding, the butterflies in his stomach has calmed. Kise’s been pushed to a wall but he’s quite aware that it’s not the end, there’s always a way around the mess, he’ll just need to re-orient himself, adapt and find a way to come on top. If the Aomines are giving him a challenge, so be it. He’ll be the best grandson, the best nephew, the best cousin they’ll ever see, they won’t even remember what it’s like to be _without_ Kise Ryouta in their lives, he vows.

 

* * *

 

Aomine’s head is about to burst from exhaustion.

Lying grows burdensome the longer Kise stays but compared to the truth which could possibly send his grandfather straight to his grave, Aomine thinks he’d stick with the former option.

As they head back to Grandpa’s room to announce the supposedly good news, Aomine steals a side-long glance at Kise walking beside him, head lowered to the floor.

Aomine is a bundle of emotions right now and he imagines Kise must be the same. Their situation is problematic as it is, made even more complicated by every failed attempt to communicate properly because his Mom is always close by.

Stolen glances, meaningful stares. Every time he looks into the blond’s golden eyes, Aomine silently demands for Kise’s comprehension and patience.

_(Though Aomine had to stop himself from smacking the idiot, sometimes.)_

Grandpa had been awake when they returned, his eyes immediately latching on Kise, as if the blond is the only person he can actually see.

Sayuri, ever so dutiful, nudges Kise to move closer to Grandpa’s bed. “Otou-san, Ryou-chan has come to a decision.”

Kise bows first before he speaks. When he raised his head, he confirms, “I’ll stay with you, Grandpa.”

The joy on Aomine Sato’s face is one for the books. Aomine has never seen his grandfather smile so ardently in a long time.

Perhaps too overwhelmed by emotion, his grandfather doesn’t speak but only lifts both his feeble arms to reach for Kise. As the blond squeezes grandfather’s hands, tears began streaming down his face, a picture of tenderness, of sincere longing in his doleful eyes.

Kise’s act is undisputedly perfect, Aomine’s breath catches on his throat.

“Did you tell your dad? What did he say?” Grandpa inquires.

“I haven’t told him yet, Grandpa. But you all don’t need to worry about that,” Kise sniffs, glancing also at Sayuri. “Dad can go ahead without me. What’s important now is Grandpa’s recovery and I’ll stay for as long as I need to.” He beams while rubbing the tears off his eyes.

“Thank you, Ryou-chan!” Sayuri says just as happily.

“Please don’t thank me, Auntie. It’s only right that I’m here for my grandfather,” Kise reiterates while smiling at Grandpa.

Aomine speaks up, wishing to contribute to his family’s little victory party. “I’ll take care of Kise’s living arrangements at the hotel right away. And his indefinite leave of absence from his job in Osaka will be arranged with Kaijou, too.”

His grandfather frowns at his statement. “At the hotel? Why at the hotel when he can stay in our house?”

“In our house?” This can’t be possible. Hell, no. Aomine isn’t sure if he’s heard his grandfather correctly, he had to ask again.

“Eh? But you don’t have to worry about me!” Kise chimes in, also struck dumb with surprise by Grandpa’s suggestion. “I’ll be fine, I have a friend in Shinjuku. I don’t need to be a burden to any of you.”

“My dear Ryouta, you’re family! Of course, you ought to live in our house!” Sayuri tells him.

“But Auntie—“

“There’s plenty of room for you, child. Don’t worry about anything,” Grandpa agrees.

“I’ll call Sakurai to get your room ready so you can move in soon,” Sayuri adds while fishing for her phone inside her clutch bag.

Aomine has to bite down on his tongue to keep himself from screaming.

“Wait, Mom, isn’t this too soon?” Aomine protests. No, no, no, this isn’t part of the plan. Anything but this. He doesn’t understand why his mother and grandfather are being too hasty with their decisions. “We ought to give Kise time to adjust. Shouldn’t we ask him first if he wants to live with _us_?”

“No question  here, he would want to stay close to his family, for sure!” Sayuri insists, glaring at Daiki before turning to Kise. “Right Ryou-chan?”

“Yes, Auntie, but--”

“Daiki,” Grandfather calls, his voice louder than usual and Aomine knows he’s got no choice but to resign to his fate. “Your cousin will stay in the house, he will live with us. Make sure everything’s in order so he can move in quickly.”

“Yes, Grandpa,” Aomine replies in spite of his unwillingness to obey. He looks at Kise who is wide-eyed at the moment as if he’s urging Aomine to protest, to do something, to stop this from happening.

Aomine just shrugs, too many words restrained in the confines of his thoughts.

 _I tried._ Aomine attempts to convey his message with the slightest tilt of his head to the side.

 _I’m sorry._ He wills Kise to understand.

 

* * *

 

_“What do we do now?” He had asked Aomine, when they finally have their alone time together, though he doubts Aomine even holds the answer to the question._

 " _Give me more time, I got this.”_

 " _You got this? How?”_

_"Kise, you have to trust me,” Aomine merely shrugs again, apparently at the end of his wits, too. “For the meantime, you’ll stay in the house, food, lodging and all other expenses covered. On top of that, you’ll receive a monthly salary equal to a hotel manager’s job grade ‘til Grandpa fully recovers or I find my real cousin, whichever comes first.”_

_Perhaps on a different day, he might’ve wanted to argue with Aomine again, Kise hates it when he keeps bringing up the subject of money as if everything can be solved just by throwing cash at the problem. On a different day, he might’ve pointed out to Aomine that he isn’t only here for the money. Yet at this point, Kise’s just too exhausted to give a damn about his words, nothing will change in their situation, anyway._

_“But the stakes are higher now. I could go to jail for this, Aominecchi.”_

_Before opening his mouth to speak, Aomine looks him in the eye, strangely calm and determined, and it startles Kise for a moment, like chancing up on a small spark that suddenly blazes into a wildfire, a bright light that’s given Kise hope, everything he ever needs to push forward from this._

_“Nobody’s going to jail, Kise. I will take all the blame if it comes down to it. I swear on my father’s grave, I won’t let anyone go after you.”_

 

Kise recalls snippets of his last conversation with Aomine while he re-reads the copy of the contract his pretend cousin had insisted that they sign, every word seemed to have already imprinted itself in his memory. His thoughts drift away to the events that had gotten his life altered in a snap, a rather impulsive yet difficult decision, and now, his tall physique is quite comfortably settled at the backseat of a Lexus, on his way to his new home in Azabu, the most expensive neighborhood in Tokyo.

 _His new home_. Drawing out a heavy breath, Kise carefully folds the paper and stuffs it into his backpack. With his head against the window, he wills himself to stay calm, his attention captured by nothing in particular, roads and people and lines blurring in motion, the music playing on the radio, an upbeat tune by some rising artist who became one of his clients in the past.

And he’s quite aware of how the family driver, Wakamatsu, observes him furtively from the rearview mirror at every red of the traffic lamps.

To be fair, Wakamatsu’s attempts at small talks have eased his nerves for a bit. He tells Kise that he’s been serving the Aomines for nine years and they’re generally good people. The Grandfather used to be a man of hard demeanor and few words until sickness and depression took a toll on his body, everybody thought he’s not going to make it out of the hospital alive. Sayuri attends a Shogi Club meeting thrice a week, loves to go shopping and has no interest in the hotel business that she sold all her shares to her son after Aomine had reached legal age. As for the youngest family member, Wakamatsu tells Kise that he’s a brat, that is all, but a manageable brat. Kise laughs at this, having proven that Wakamatsu is indeed telling the truth.

When they finally came to the gates, it was nearly half past five in the afternoon, the sun, a huge fireball in the west, shining over the house, bathing its white walls in muted oranges. Kise rolls down his window, jaws dropping at the expanse of greenery where the house, or rather, the Aomines’ mansion is ensconced, Kise’s rough guess is that it can fit six or seven basketball courts in total. A landscaped garden, verdant and well-tended, beckons its visitors at the threshold, and the house in itself is a harmony of steel and concrete and glass.

Wakamatsu drops him off right at the front porch before driving away to park the car somewhere. Even the huge brass doors, embellished with textured glass and fine floral imprint makes Kise want to run the hell out of here, never to come back again. He fixes his backpack on his shoulder, clutches tighter on the basketball in his hand and takes a deep inhale before ringing the doorbell.

The front doors squeak open and an auburn-haired guy, barely reaching Kise’s chin, peers up at him with huge eyes and a timid smile.

“Welcome, Ryouta-kun, I’m Sakurai Ryou at your service.”

“Oh, uh, hello!” Kise greets him, stepping inside into the Aomines’ abode. In his mind, Kise wonders how much the guy is making per month, with the upkeep of such a huge house for a family of three.

As the door shuts behind him, Kise shifts his gaze, absorbing the minimalist interior consisting of high ceilings, monochromatic walls, sleek furniture and lots of glass, an enclosed space subdued with light in all corners. His eyes finally lock into his fake family, Grandpa on a wheelchair, along with Auntie Sayu and Aomine standing at the foot of a curved staircase with clear glass banister.

Kise moves closer to the three and bows low, feeling too self-conscious, too out-of-place, and for a second, he regrets bringing the basketball with him, it made him look naive before them, somehow.

“Welcome to your new home, my grandson,” Sato says with a satisfied smile.

“We’ve been waiting for you all day, Ryou-chan!” Sayuri rushes to hug him and kiss his cheek. She feels so warm and soft and smells really nice, like peaches and cream. “Make yourself at home!”

“Thank you Grandpa, Auntie, Aominecchi.”

And then, of course, there’s Aomine. It’s the first time Kise sees him without the bespoke suit, clad only in black shirt and dark blue jersey shorts. And Kise’s quite right, Aomine is _absolutely_ well-toned under the usual fabric covering him up, Kise had to scold himself not to stare too long on those guns, the copper of Aomine’s skin catching the light of the sun streaming from the windows.

“You play ball, Kise?” Aomine inquires with a smirk, snapping him out of his daydreams.

Kise looks at the ball then to Aomine’s face, his interest roused. “Pretty much, yeah. You?”

Aomine crosses his arms, eyebrows raised as if appraising Kise. “You any good?”

“Not really?” Kise replies with fake modesty, and then with as much bravado, he adds, “My high school team played in the nationals and won district championships twice. Oh, and I’m the ace, I play any position.”

That seems to do the trick, a spark instantly lights up in Aomine’s eyes, though he merely scoffs upon hearing about Kise’s basketball victories.

“Daiki’s good in basketball, too,” Grandpa says. “Well, I guess, it runs in our family.”

“Really?” Kise turns his attention back to Aomine, who now wears a smug face. Who would have thought that he and this rich-ass jerk would find a common interest in basketball? Kise is thrilled at the prospect of having someone close by to play his favorite sport with, at the possibility that he and Aomine can be more than just partners-in-crime, that the two of them can actually become friends. Because nobody who plays basketball can be a bad guy, right?

“We should play one-on-one, then!” Kise suggests.

“There’s a court nearby. Let’s see how bad you play, cousin!”

“Oh, I’m gonna beat you!”

“In your dreams, maybe?”

“Hold up, boys,” Sayuri intervenes though she seems delighted that Aomine and Kise are getting along in their own way. “Dai-chan, I think you should show your cousin his room first before showing him where the basketball court is.”

As soon as Kise enters his new bedroom, his eyes latch on the king-sized bed with baby blue linen and he immediately jumps into it, rolls and tosses around, wagging his legs giddily. The cushion is so fluffy and he likes it. His room is like a hotel, it’s twice as big as his dingy apartment in Osaka. He’d very much want to stay in bed for a while but remembers that Aomine’s waiting for him to change into something more comfortable for playing ball so he immediately went through his things and got into a cotton shirt, jersey shorts and sneakers.

When Aomine sees him, though, he crinkles his nose. “What’s that you’re wearing?”

“Huh?”

Aomine’s eyes land on Kise’s dirty, old, low-cut sneakers.

“Oh, it’s fine!” Kise fidgets, red in the face, catching the flashy Air Jordan logo on the shoes that Aomine wears. “I’ve never bought basketball shoes in years, they’re kinda pricey.”

“And you wish to beat me in those?” Aomine tells him, “You won’t stand a chance.”

“Hey, you haven’t even seen me play yet!”

“Let’s get you proper shoes first so you’ll have no excuse after I beat your ass later.” He motions for Kise to follow him.

Kise rolls his eyes, he can’t wait to show this airbag, but he held his tongue. Meanwhile, he can’t believe Aomine is letting him into his bedroom so Kise kept his thoughts to himself so as not to miss this opportunity to snoop into his cousin’s things.

Gray, everything’s predominantly gray in Aomine’s room, from the walls, the carpet, to the plaid bedding on his low platform bed. And there’s an abundance of space, Aomine can hold a party for ten full-grown adults in here if he wants to. There’s TV too, a black, leather-upholstered couch in one corner, a study table, and Kise is surprised, there’s even a large, wooden bookcase filled with books. It doesn’t strike Kise that Aomine is the reading type. However, upon closer inspection, Kise finds out that they’re actually manga, _Sports Illustrated_ and several volumes of photobooks by a single celebrity, all in double copies.

“Aominecchi, you’re a fan of Horikita Mai?”

“Oi, stop snooping and get in here,” Aomine leads him to a walk-in closet. Kise whistles as he takes in the view, suits and shirts neatly hanged in rows, it’s almost like a mini-department store. At the far-end, Aomine pulls out a revolving closet laden with shoes from top to bottom. Kise wants to cry, Aomine owns, like, fifteen pairs of Air Jordans.

“Damn, Aominecchi, I’m so jealous.”

“Choose quickly, we don’t have all day!”

Leaning closer, Kise observes that most of them are quite new, maybe worn only once. There’s too many to choose from, but he picks a pair with blue and gold accent.

“Nice pick, the Legacy 3-1-2. That’s one of my favorite Jordan collabs,” Aomine remarks, pleased with himself.

“Can I try it on?”

“‘Course, idiot!”

Kise quickly comes down on his knee and unlaces his old shoes. He puts the Jordans on, it’s a full size bigger but feels extremely comfortable, snug at the ankles.

“Good?” Aomine asks.

“C’mon, I’m so ready to beat you now!” Kise exclaims.

 

* * *

 

At the street court, Aomine dribbles, ready for the offensive. If he’s going to live with this annoying blond for a while, at least now they have a common ground to start from. Aomine’s pretty convinced Kise is as good as he says, his lean, athletic physique considered, Aomine’s eyes raking along the pillars of Kise’s slender, muscular thighs, up into the curves of his biceps, taut and supple.

Eye for an eye, the fire in their gazes clash and by then, Aomine knows Kise means what he says and he’s out for the kill.

_Perfect._

“Race to ten. Let’s see what you got, blondie.”

“Bring it on, Aominecchi!”

Aomine’s shoes squeak against the floor as he runs upcourt in full swing. Kise is well on his guard, easily matching Aomine’s pace. At the free throw line, Aomine sweeps the ball way below his knees, heel taps with his right foot, and makes a swift side-step to his right, thus, successfully subverting Kise’s focus in a split-second, it’s all he needs to make a shot.

The ball lands in the basket with a smooth hiss.

When he looks at Kise, he didn’t waste the opportunity to gloat. “Don’t forget to pick up your jaw from the floor, Kise!” He tosses the ball to the blond.

Narrowing his eyes at Aomine, Kise catches the ball with a single hand and begins dribbling.

Kise, now on the offense, dashes to his side of the court, dribbling the ball with his left hand. When Aomine closes in, Kise changes pace, pulls a crossover then a wide side step with a good headfake. Taking a step back, he throws the ball and easily pulls a score for himself.

“Hmm, nice,” Aomine whispers under his breath, picking the ball as it rolls to his feet. Kise looks smug.

Soon, they were trading baskets, trying to outdo and also, impress each other with their skills. More than what he lets on, Aomine has been struck by Kise’s speed and agility, and his uncanny ability to replicate Aomine’s move in the exact same pace and manner.

The blond is also quick to predict moves and when he manages to steal a ball from Aomine and makes an easy shot, he leers, saying, “Don’t tell me you’re all talk, Aominecchi!”

Aomine grins as he retrieves the ball, excitement pumping in his veins. He hasn’t been this excited to play one-on-one with anyone before.

“Don’t get too cocky because you’re gonna be crying after this!” He makes a drive for the basket, a solid force like an oncoming train, and shoots a double-handed dunk. He hangs onto the basket for a few seconds before softly landing on his heels. When Aomine looks over his shoulder, he finds Kise grinning as well, his silent challenge willingly accepted.

Later, they’re both on the floor, drenched in sweat, Kise huffing, “one more, Aominecchi!”

“Tsk, that’s enough.”

“Are you saying you’re tired already? I can play another ten!”

“Please, between the two of us, you seem to run out of steam sooner.”

Aomine won, of course. He knew from the start that he’d win like he always did. But he wouldn’t say it about Kise that he’s not a worthy opponent nor it was an easy victory in his part.

“I’ll be sure to beat you next time, Aominecchi!” The blond’s tone is playful, cheeky, even, and it’s hard to believe that they’re having to talk like this, a stark contrast to how they’ve been several weeks prior, when all they ever did was bicker.

“You wouldn’t win against me in a million years,” Aomine tells Kise, while getting to his feet. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

The sun has already set and a few stars have already shone above their heads. Kise purses his lips together, quietly and slowly getting up from the floor.

“Hey, Kise. Don’t overthink matters, okay? You’re alright.” He doesn’t know what has compelled him to launch into those words but Aomine has felt the need to say them to Kise, anyway. “Just do your job, play along. Grandpa and Mom like you so much, already.”

“They do?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Kise beams, bright-eyed and hopeful.

“I’ll do my best, Aominecchi! I told you before, you’re getting what you paid for! But you have to find your real cousin soon!”

“Of course, idiot, you don’t even have to remind me.”

As he heads back home with Kise chattering happily by his side, Aomine can’t help but smile, his chest feeling lighter.

True, there are a ton of things to worry about, even more so, with Kise moving in to live with the family. It makes everything complicated, yet it’s all been good so far, and the best part, his grandfather had managed to crawl out of his deathbed and return home.

He’s never been this relaxed in forever.

For now, Aomine chooses to dwell over the optimistic side of things, to indulge in the respite that life gives him, even for a bit.

Indeed, things are getting better.

Aomine hopes it’ll last longer than he needs to set things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they were housemates!  
> That’s my longest chapter yet, I tried to make the update substantial but unfortunately, I’m a useless fail.
> 
> I know nothing about pacing, interior design and basketball games. Thanks again for reading, for your patience. ♥️


	7. A Small World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine is quite surprised to find that his childhood friend is already 'friends' with his fake cousin. Kise, on the other hand, begins to see his strange new job on a different light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho, look who updated earlier than usual ＼(＾▽＾)／

Adjusting to his new life as an ‘Aomine’ isn’t really all that difficult contrary to what Kise initially expected. After all, the best part is waking up every day without worrying about food and rent and bills that have to be paid, everything’s provided for, he’s literally living the life of a prince.

The life of a fake prince. Even playing the part of the long-lost grandson has grown on him, guilt becoming less of a bother and more as an afterthought. Every day, Kise reminds himself that this is his job now, this is what he’s being paid for and somehow, it doesn’t feel so terrible anymore. Grandfather and Sayuri seem happy with Kise around which also means that his employer, Aomine, is satisfied. Maybe he’ll ask for an incentive from his new boss for consistently excelling in his job.

Only sometimes, there are minor nuisances to Kise’s new job that can’t be helped and has to be dealt with a little resourcefulness on his part.

For example, when Grandfather had insisted that Kise should visit his fake mother’s grave.

“Daiki, it’s your Aunt’s death anniversary tomorrow, I suppose Ryouta would want to visit his mother’s grave, why don’t you take him there?” Grandpa says while they’re having dinner one night.

In his mind, Kise chants, ‘no, you’re busy, you’re busy…’ repeatedly, in the hopes that Aomine will not find the time to carry out his grandfather’s suggestion.

Aomine swallows the bit of food already in his mouth before saying, “Yes, Grandpa. I’m free tomorrow.”

That’s the thing with Kise’s fake cousin, he never says no to Grandpa’s wishes, always the obedient grandson. Perhaps it’s the reason why it never occurred to Sato that his real grandson is capable of making a grand fool out of him. Or maybe, it’s Aomine’s retribution for the scheme he’d perpetrated, for all the lies he carefully weaves up to this point with Kise as his partner in crime.

“We’ll leave early, it’s a long drive.” Aomine looks at Kise, somewhat imploring him to acknowledge tomorrow’s plans. Kise, though full of objections, meets his fake cousin’s gaze and puts on a sweet smile.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Aomine wants to start early so he knocks on the bedroom adjacent to his, expecting the blond all dressed and prepared for their trip.

“Kise?” Aomine knocks on Kise’s door. He counts to five and when he doesn’t get a response, he knocks harder the second time.

“Oi, Kise, we need to leave!”

When Kise opens his bedroom door, Aomine quirks an eyebrow seeing that the blond is still in baggy sweats and pajamas that he slept in, his bed hair sticking out all over the place.

“Mmm, Aominecchi, I’m sick… I can’t leave the house,” he mumbles.

“Fever?” Aomine asks, more curious than concerned. He presses a palm on Kise’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm, though.”

“Stomach flu,” Kise tells him, bringing both arms over his belly. “Must be something from last night, let’s visit your aunt's grave some other time.”

“My schedule’s full for the week, I’m only free today.”

“Then maybe when you’re free again.”

“I’ll get you some meds.”

“No, I’m fine. I just need to stay in bed, that’s all.”

It doesn’t take long for Aomine to figure it out. He pauses to study Kise’s face before he says, “I won’t fall for that.”

“What?”

“I know what you’re up to, Kise. It won’t work on me this time.”

Frowning, Kise tells him, “I really don’t want to go. Can’t you tell Grandpa that I’m not feeling well?”

“No. Get yourself ready, I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”

“But, I’m really sick--”

“What’s with you? We’ll just visit  Aunt Megumi’s grave.”

Kise pulls a face. “Aominecchi, I’ve lied to too many people already, you really want me to lie to dead people as well? Have you got no pity for me? I’m going to get bad luck for the rest of my life!”

Aomine scoffs at the absurdity of Kise’s reason. “You’re nuts. Dead people can do nothing to you. They’re dead.”

“Wait, let me see… how about we just go somewhere else?”

“No, we’ll stick to the plan. Grandpa will be asking questions, dumbass!”

“Then go by yourself, cousin. I’m sick. Bye!”

Before Kise can disappear behind the door, Aomine grabs and pulls his arm. “Stop being childish. We’re going today and you’re gonna do as I say.”

“No!” Kise tries to wrench away from Aomine’s grip, forcing and tugging his way back inside his bedroom and it’s taking a toll in Aomine’s patience. Annoyed, Aomine doesn’t let go and pulls harder causing Kise to stumble and lose his balance, throwing them both on the floor.

“Fuck,” Aomine grunts as a shot of pain runs up on his back part, all of the blond’s weight pressed on top of him. Aomine blinks then Kise’s face comes into focus, too close for comfort, huge, honey-colored pupils staring back at him.

“Get off me, Kise.”

Instead of moving aside, Aomine gets a self-satisfied smile in response.

“Ah, are you blushing, Aominecchi?”

“I said get off!” He barks, shooting Kise a death glare but the blond doesn’t listen.

“But it wouldn’t be good for business if you happen to like your cousin.”

That was the last straw. With both hands on Kise’s shoulders, Aomine had pushed his weight to the side, rolling on top of Kise so their position is reversed.

Because two can play on this game, Aomine thinks. With his legs on either side of Kise’s hips, Aomine leans lower, closer into Kise’s face, he can almost count the lashes framing his eyelids. In turn, Kise’s eyes have grown wider, Aomine watches as his Adam’s apple stirs under the smooth flesh of his throat.

“Look who’s blushing now.” Aomine smirks.

“Get off me!”

With lips curling into a sneer, Aomine moves aside. “You’re not my type,” he declares, intending to make his point clear. “I like women. Preferably, with big tits,” he adds, staring into Kise’s chest as he sits up from the floor.

That effectively rendered the blond speechless and Aomine is pleased. Better make it clear before Kise gets any wrong ideas about him.

“Move your ass. You’ve got fifteen minutes or I’ll have Mom drag you to the car,” Aomine commands Kise just as he was standing from the floor, dusting off an imaginary speck of dirt from his jeans.

“This is extra work for me, you ought to pay 5,000 yen for this!” Kise calls after Aomine.

 

* * *

 

Reluctantly, Kise tags along with Aomine at the cemetery where they both offer flowers and light a bundle of incense before Aomine Megumi’s gravestone.

“Forgive my insolence, Auntie Megumi,” Kise fervently prays out loud, eyes closed, hands drawn together. “Forgive me for lying to Grandpa and Auntie Sayu, too.”

Inwardly, Aomine finds this laughable, how Kise actively frets over a lot of things, even those that seem trivial. He can’t help but snicker, thus, earning him a sharp elbow on the ribs.

“Auntie, your nephew is really mean. If bad luck will rain down on us, please spare me.”

On hearing this, Aomine comes to his senses, clears his throat and shuts his eyes as well, calling on all his dead ancestors in prayer so that he may be spared, too, from the misfortune Kise keeps blabbing about.

 

* * *

 

While driving back to Azabu, Aomine noticed how Kise had gone strangely quiet.

“Oi, Kise, stop sulking.”

No reaction. Kise just stares out the window pretending not to hear.

“What are you even mad about, we’ve done our mission. Grandpa will be pleased.”

Kise continues to give him the silent treatment.

“I’ll treat you to the best uni udon in town, how about that?” Aomine suggests, hoping that the prospect of good food will change Kise’s mood. Anyway, he’s starving, too. “There’s this place owned by my friend who used to be a Chef in Touou. Everything he cooks is delicious, literally everything.”

At the shotgun seat, Kise merely says, “fine”.

Aomine continues to drive for several more minutes until finally, he pulls over at a parking spot in front of a restaurant called ‘Tygrys’. Disembarking from the car, he lets Kise follow him inside. It’s almost lunchtime and there were only a few tables left but Aomine, being long-time friends with the Chef and the Owner, is quite confident he’ll always have a spot in here.

“Aomine! Man, I haven’t seen you in a while!” One of the restaurant crew comes to him.

“Kiyoshi,” Aomine acknowledges. “Been busy lately.”

Kiyoshi shrugs. “Yeah, always the man of action.” He leads both Aomine and Kise to a vacant table near the bar and handed them both the menu.

“The usual uni udon, salmon skin aburi maki and gyoza,” Aomine says without the need to check the menu. “Kise?”

Kise’s brows are knit together as he goes over the list of entrees.

“The tempura soft-shell crab maki is also a must-try,” Kiyoshi recommends, noticing that Aomine’s companion is in need of help. “Ginger garlic sauce plus the Chef’s special ceviche dressing bring bold flavors to the crab tempura.”

“Sounds yummy!” Kise says to him. “I’ll have that.”

“Anything else?”

“I’m good, thank you.”

“Kiyoshi, is the baka around?” Aomine inquires.

“Yeah, I’ll tell him you’re here.” Kiyoshi smiles and waves before hurrying back to the kitchens.

“So, you’re friends with the guy who owns this place?” Kise asks while eyeing the restaurant’s theme, with rich black upholstered seats and tables against alabaster white walls. All the wait staff wears black, too, with a white bandana covering their heads. The black-and-white photos of several NBA players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal adorning the walls particularly catches his interest. “... a basketball head, too.”

“I’ve known him since we were kids, our families are close,” Aomine says. “His family is well-known in the mining business but he only cares about food and basketball so he put up his own place after Uni. He’s behind the menu for Touou so you pretty much get the idea, he’s that good.”

“Uh-huh.”

“When you see him, though, you might actually think he’s a thug, you wouldn’t believe he’s got any talent for something as meticulous as cooking.” Aomine snickers.

“Wow, Aominecchi, what a way to introduce your friend.”

“We’re chill, we say these things behind each other’s back all the time. Oh, here he comes.” Aomine stands to meet said friend. “Prepare to meet the split-browed baka.”

“You only ever come here when you want my help, Aomine, what do you need this time?” The voice is gruff like he’s actually disgruntled to find that Aomine just came by, yet he walks closer, stretches his right arm to bump his fist against Aomine’s. When Kise turns around to face him though, his crimson eyes grow big in amazement.

“Kise?”

“Kagamicchi! You remembered me!” Kise’s delighted reaction leaves Aomine in awe.

“Of course, I remembered you!” Kagami replies with a nod. “Wow. You’re here.”

Aomine glances at Kise and then at Kagami and he finds it weird, the way they’re grinning at each other like they’re into this important little secret.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Aomine asks.

“We met in Osaka not long ago,” Kise explains. “Kagamicchi literally fed me when I was hungry!”

“And what are you doing here? I mean, why are you with Aomine?” Kagami asks, trying to sort out the heap of confusing details as well.

“He’s my cousin, Bakagami,” Aomine supplies.

“What?” Kagami’s gaze locks onto Kise again, his jaw dropping to the ground in shock. “You mean, you’re the lost cousin? I wouldn’t be able to tell that the two of you were related!”

“Cousins, that’s what we are!” Kise tells Kagami with a nervous chuckle.

“Awesome,” is what Kagami says; there’s the familiar, silly smile that emerges from Kagami’s lips that Aomine often sees when the redhead is embarrassed about something. “What a small world.”

“Small world, indeed!” Kise agrees.

Kagami takes the empty chair beside Aomine, deciding that now is a convenient time to take a break from his kitchen duties. When their food arrives, Kagami only needs to nod his head at Kiyoshi and the latter understood.

As expected, Kagami had asked them both the questions about their kinship, the details of Kise’s reunion with his ‘true family’;  Aomine and Kise had given him the standard answers they gave everyone, their fat lie retold with practiced ease. Then it’s Aomine’s turn to ask how Kagami and Kise had known each other before. It got him anxious for a second there, when Kagami had recognized Kise, Aomine had worried that Kagami might just figure them out. And then it seems that Kagami is just profoundly delighted by his reunion with Kise and that is fine by Aomine, as long as Kagami doesn’t suspect anything. Soon, Kise and Kagami begin chattering away and Aomine has soon gotten bored out of his skull, listening to their prattle.

“I’m pretty impressed. The food here is amazing!” Kise comments, bringing another piece of aburi maki to his mouth.

“Thanks,” Kagami’s says, looking away, his face turning red. “My folks were never much home so I had to learn to cook for myself.”

“You’re self-taught? Wow.”

“It started with Youtube videos and my mother’s old cookbook. But then I got a degree in culinary arts in LA.”

“I have to agree with Aominecchi this time, everything I’ve had so far is quite delicious, Kagamicchi!”

“Hey, stop embarrassing yourself, Kise! Drop the stupid nicknames when we’re in public!” Aomine interrupts, scrunching up his face.

Kise turns to Aomine with a glare. Aomine expects a snide remark or two from his fake cousin, however, it’s Kagami who blurts out,

“It’s fine, your cousin can call me however he wants.” Kagami stiffens, looks away and brings a hand to the back of his neck, a deeper flush had crept in his cheeks. “I think... it's cute,” he sputters.

“Cute?” Aomine repeats with a derisive tone making Kagami grimace. _Cute?_ Now he knows for sure that Kagami is such an idiot.

“I mean, it’s way better than what you call me, Aho,” Kagami retorts.

They hear Kise giggle from across the table. Putting his chopsticks aside, Kise props his chin on his hand before speaking, “Kagamicchi is really nice unlike some people here.”

Mumbling something incoherent, Aomine finds Kagami cowering in his seat, head lowered, seemingly trying but failing to conceal the furious blush on his face. The sight makes Aomine want to gag. Pretending not to notice, though, Kise starts another topic. When Kagami had gradually recovered from his self-inflicted shame, they were soon back in their little bubble of fun, exchanging opinions about food, basketball and then later, mobile numbers right before they parted. Aomine had to stop himself from smacking both their heads.

 

* * *

 

With Kise in the house, it’s more like having an annoying little brother, one who hogs all the attention to himself by being too nice and polite which in effect, makes the other siblings look bad.

Because Kise doesn’t just pretend to be the loveable grandson, he’s quickly winning Sayuri’s favor as well. Without so much effort on his part, Kise becomes all things at once, her pet, her shopping buddy, her other son who adores her completely. Sayuri is so thrilled to learn that Kise has a rigorous facial regimen before going to bed and she lets Kise hang around in her room at night to give her homemade facials. She had taught him how to play shogi and now, she can’t stop fawning over the fact that Kise is quite the fast learner, everything that her own son is not.

There’s even an instance when she catches Aomine poking fun at Kise and this results to Aomine getting the talk.

“Are you jealous of your cousin, Dai-chan?” Sayuri asks.

“What?” Aomine cocks his brows in disbelief. “What would I be  jealous about?”

“Are you bullying Ryou-chan because he gets to spend more time with me and your grandpa? That doesn’t mean we love you any less.”

Aomine momentarily closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. He just can’t take this.

“Mom, it’s not that,” Aomine snorts with a roll of his eyes, he doesn’t know for sure if he has any right to feel offended by his mother’s accusation. It’s incredulous, how she thinks he’s actually a jealous brother here. “And I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Your grandpa and I want Ryou-chan to feel that he belongs here with us. We hope he’d choose to stay for good.”

The wistful look on her face rams the guilt in his chest. “Don’t get too attached to him, Mom. He might leave us whether we wanted it or not.”

“I know. But I want you to promise me, you’ll try your best to get along with him well.”

“Don’t worry,” He assures her. _He’s paid to stay. As long as the money keeps coming, we’re getting along pretty fine._

This doesn’t deter Aomine from poking fun at Kise from time to time because one, his fake cousin seems to enjoy annoying the hell out of Aomine as well by constantly making him look bad in the eyes of his own family and two, it’s good entertainment, seeing right through Kise’s act. Aomine knows Kise is doing his best to win the family over, as buffer when the moment of truth comes.

It goes naturally for them, how they get into each other’s nerves like real siblings, Aomine thinks his mother shouldn’t really be complaining.

So Aomine jumps on the opportunity whenever it presents itself because he knows Kise is on the lookout to do the same, _they just can’t let each other down_.

He’s looking for Sakurai in the kitchen but finds Kise instead, right in the act of raiding the fridge.

“Morning, Aominecchi!” As usual, he’s so full of energy right at the start of the day.  When Aomine sees that Kise has taken a bottle of banana milk, he calls him out on it. “Oi, Kise. It’s mine.” Aomine points to the milk bottle. “You should ask first before you’re allowed to get things for yourself.”

Kise pouts, gaping at him. It’s strangely hilarious when he pulls his face like that. “Okay, can I have some of your milk? _Cousin?_ ” He says in his most jeering tone.

Aomine crosses his arms. “No.”

“No?”

“No, you can’t. You have money, right? Go buy your own,” Aomine replies just to spite the blond.

“What? You have like, a month-long supply of banana milk in there, I’m just asking for one!”

“It’s my favorite, go get your own.” He motions for Kise to hand the drink over.

“Wow, so selfish,” Kise remarks with a glare, slapping the plastic bottle into Aomine’s open palm. “I hope you get stomach pains for hoarding all the milk.”

“Don’t worry, Kise. I’ll bring you all the strawberry milk you want next time.” From behind them, a familiar voice intrudes into their conversation, unwelcomed.

“Bakagami. What the hell are you doing here?” The surprise derails Aomine’s thoughts, his words came out as a growl when he sees Kagami standing at the kitchen’s entrance.

“Hi, Kagamicchi!” Kise greets the redhead with a bright smile.

There’s something vaguely obnoxious about Kagami’s presence suddenly popping into his house that Aomine can’t put a finger on, at the moment. Barely aware that his eyes are like daggers upon the redhead, Aomine roughly hands the banana milk bottle back to Kise, who has been stunned by his fake cousin’s abrupt change of heart. “You can have it. It’s way better than strawberry milk.”

“Why so grouchy Aho? It’s too early for the attitude, don’t you think?” Kagami saunters closer.

“The hell are you doing here?” Aomine asks again, his death glare still in place.

“Oh, I just dropped by to return these…” Kagami innocently brings out a shoe box from his duffel bag. It holds a pair of custom Jordans which Aomine had let Kagami borrow ages ago, during an emergency when all the stocks have run out in the local stores. Aomine had completely forgotten all about it, there’s already a new pair in his closet, in fact.

“And you’re returning it just now?” Aomine snaps. Of course, he knows what this idiot is up to.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Kagami cards his hair. “And, I was wondering if Kise's up for a one-on-one.” His eyes dart from Kise to the floor. What a huge-ass idiot, Aomine thinks.

“Yes!” Kise chimes.

“I’m coming with you,” Aomine declares without much thought, the other two stares at him dumbfounded. Turning to Kagami, he adds with a not so subtle warning, “I don’t trust your intentions, Bakagami. And Kise, don’t hang on to everything he says, he loves to play around, breaking hearts all over Tokyo and L.A.”

Kagami is easily provoked, as expected. “What?” He yells. “Where the hell did you get that?”

“From your mom, who else?” Aomine smirks, one hand on his waist.

“The fuck are you talking about, Aho? Just because you’re big brother now, you’re allowed to bad-mouth me in front of your cousin!” Kagami fumes, poking a finger into Aomine’s chest.

Aomine shrugs, quite enjoying the flicker of different emotions in Kagami’s face, from angry to distressed to mortified to angry again.

“It’s alright, Kagamicchi, I know you’re not like that.” Kise puts a pacifying hand on Kagami’s shoulder. He turns to Aomine with a frown before he asks, “But how can we play if there’s three of us?”

“Yeah, aren’t you busy? Don’t you have to go to Touou?” Kagami attempts to turn the situation in his favor but Aomine simply won’t give it to him.

“Satsuki can take care of things while I’m not around,” Aomine brushes off their worries. “And Sakurai’s coming with us.”

 

* * *

 

It’s a great day for a two-on-two, Kagami and Kise teaming up against Aomine and Sakurai, the unwilling victim who’s been carelessly dragged into what seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Aomine, in possession of the ball, can’t help the smile on his face as he gauges the distance between himself and the basket, his opponents’ eyes trained on him with undivided focus. From where he is, he can feel the surge of energy coming from Kagami and Kise who are looking all fired up as well. He sprints upcourt, gaining momentum with every step, the impending double team ahead does nothing but push Aomine to a point of breakthrough, a desire to crush them.

Sure enough, Aomine breaks past the point of caution and slams his first basket. He lives for the jealous looks on the other three’s faces.

And then, of course, Kagami and Kise won’t give it to him without a good fight. Kagami he can take on alone but with Kise moving in sync with the redhead, their team dynamic a fluid rhythm, their firepower combined is nearly impossible to overtake. Still pretty nervous with his ball handling, Sakurai helps rake in several points but Kise shuts him down easily. An hour later, it was Kagami and Kise’s tandem that had prevailed.

“Woohoo!” Kise cheers at the last basket courtesy of his teammate. Quick on his heels, he jogs towards Kagami to give the redhead a resounding high five. “You played so well, Kagamicchi! That was great!”

Sakurai hands Aomine a water bottle. As he drinks from it, he hears Kagami sputter, “You’re a  freaking badass yourself, Kise. I’ve never seen someone so versatile in the court.”

“Thanks,” Kise replies cheekily. “But your dunks, they’re super!”

The words ring in Aomine’s ears. _Super? Is that idiot blind? Didn’t he see my dunks? Kagami’s are lackluster, his light in the basketball court too dim in comparison to mine. And what about my formless shots? Didn't the stupid idiot see?_

Shoving the water bottle back to Sakurai’s hands, Aomine picks up the ball and marches towards the winning duo.

“Bakagami, one-on-one!” Aomine taunts.

“You’re on, Aho!” Kagami answers without the need to be asked twice, pride oozing in his voice.

Soon, Aomine and Kagami are standing in the middle of the court, out for each other’s blood, eyes trained on their opponent.

In a slow rhythm, the ball bounces back and forth, back and forth between the concrete ground and Kagami’s left hand. Aomine draws a long breath, channeling his complete focus on the redhead. Kise cheers them on but Aomine’s concentration drowns out the sound of his voice away.

“If I win,” Kagami calmly states, shattering the tensed silence between them. “You take back all the things you said about me to Kise.”

For a brief moment, Kagami’s demand catches Aomine off-guard. With a shake of his head, he lets the smirk return to his lips, the words he says next stricken with unbridled confidence.

“You will _never_ win against me.”

 

From the bench, Sakurai and Kise are on the edge of their seats, anticipating the showdown between two power players.

Beside Kise, Sakurai sits up straighter, folding his hands on his lap. “It’s been a while since I saw the two of them go against each other. They’ve almost the same technique and both are equally talented, you just have to see this. Don’t blink, Ryouta-kun.”

Kise can’t agree more. He’s gone against Aomine, a truly formidable opponent, his basketball sense is almost perfection. Playing with Kagami, on the other hand, leaves Kise in awe, the redhead is brimming with potential. With his heart racing, he can’t wait to see how the match will go.

“Go, Aominecchi, go Kagamicchi!” Kise yells. By their stance alone, it’s difficult to tell who has the edge on this battle.

Kise sees them whispering to each other, their faces serious, he wonders what they’re discussing about.

The court falls silent, save for the steady thud of the ball against the ground, the rustling of leaves from the trees as a gust of wind blows.

And then it begins. Every movement flashing before Kise’s eyes is too instantaneous, a maelstrom of offense and defense, clashing together in a finespun display of skills possessed by both players.

By several short minutes, Kise’s heart is already in his throat. Aomine and Kagami are breathtaking to watch, every shot is precise, their footwork is on a different level.

“Shit, they’re so serious,” he tells Sakurai.

“Told ya, it’s gold,” Sakurai says.

Kise looks closely, picking out his favorite style. “Why haven’t they turned Pro, again?” he asks, though he has an idea already. Being born from affluent families, both must have been pressured to take on their families’ business. It’s a shame, Kise muses, that they can’t go Pro just because the weight of responsibilities are on their shoulders.

With his streetball style and animal instinct, Aomine manages to overtake Kagami and win the match by a hair’s breadth.

As Kagami and Aomine slump to the floor huffing, Kise immediately rushes to them, offering both a cold bottle of water.

“Wow, that was intense!” Kise exclaims, pumping his fists in the air. Kagami only returns his praise with a faint smile, Aomine on the other hand, simply stood up and trudged back to the bench where Sakurai was.

“His A-game’s just too strong,” Kagami says quietly, watching Aomine’s retreating back. “Even after all these years, he never changed.”

“But you’re amazing, too,” Kise affirms, offering a hand towards the redhead. He doesn’t say that deep down, he agrees with Kagami; Aomine is indeed on a league of his own, a genius player with limitless talent.

 

Walking back home with Aomine and Sakurai ahead, Kagami beside him, Kise clutches onto his chest, realizing he’s found a new inspiration, a new challenge in Aomine’s person. He feels his heart skip a beat as he toys with the idea of being the one to surpass Aomine someday.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! ♥  
> I ticked off a scene from my self-indulgent scenes list, the KagaKise double team beating Aho, yeah! Because KagaKise is stronger together but then, Aho will always be my best boy! o(≧▽≦)o
> 
> This officially marks the winding journey to slow romance (or that's just what I've led myself to believe but whatever).  
> Oh yeah, oh yeah, we've breached 32K words, fam, and ahhh, I'm happy! (⁀ᗢ⁀) There is actually a plot, it just looks bleak for now but I'm working on it, please be patient w me. Better yet, come holler at me via the comments box! ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡
> 
> Also, I have a new favorite Japanese food, uni udon, it just has to be in here somewhere! And BaeKagamicchi, the best chef ever, will be cooking a lot of uni udon and other yummy dishes. We'll see if he can prove that the way to a man's heart is through the stomach! (o˘◡˘o)
> 
> Right, so, I should be quiet. See you next chapter!


	8. Beyond the Impostor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living together as cousins, Aomine and Kise find that it is easily a game of misunderstandings, just as it is a game of discoveries. In light of all the lies they’ve told, it is then that Aomine begins to see what goes beyond the facade Kise’s been putting up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! Happy Teiko AoKise day! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

After what seems like a prolonged state of apprehension, Aomine finds that his life, in general, is slowly easing into something more relaxed and manageable as of late, he’s back on top of his tasks at Touou, now that he can focus and throw himself to work without worrying so much about his grandfather’s condition. During the last hospital visit, Midorima had said that Aomine Sato’s health is on the steady track towards improvement so far; they can get him to cardiac rehab soon. Of course, the news was well-received by the family, and the way things have been looking up lately, his grandfather and mother have no one to attribute it to but to one person.

Kise.

His fake cousin, who appears to have gone overboard with his act, the blond’s thoughtful gestures and vivacious personality easily earning himself a place in their home, a soft spot in their hearts. Aomine won’t be caught dead admitting it out loud but it fascinates him to great lengths, how Kise’s presence shakes things up in their house, the blond simply walks into a room and lightens the mood dramatically, like the rays of the sun brushing off storm clouds away. Too caught up in Kise’s light, Sato and Sayuri can’t stop gushing about him, and while Aomine often finds it annoying, he is satisfied, nonetheless, for the way Kise is effectively serving his purpose.

Which then reminds Aomine, on that quiet morning in his massive office at Touou, that his worries are far from being over, there’s still a task of great consequence ready to pounce on him if he’s being too complacent—his real cousin is still out there, waiting to be found.

Drawing out a heavy sigh, he leans back against his chair and snaps his eyes shut, meaning to loosen up the tension slowly creeping up to him. Kise is just a temporary solution, and Aomine needs to remind the blond to stop being too good on his job or there will be grave damages when the truth eventually catches up with them.

But before Aomine gets way too deep into contemplation, though, a soft knock on his door interrupts his solitude.

“Dai-chan, somebody’s here for you,” Satsuki calls from the outside. Cracking one eye open, he wonders who could be visiting him in his office because as far as he can tell, there’s nothing in his agenda until 3:00 pm later.

Sitting up straighter, he drawls, “Let them in, Satsuki.”

With the swing of the door, his executive assistant marches in, beaming, and behind her comes Kise, smiling like there can’t be anything wrong in the world.

“Look who’s here!” Satsuki’s voice rings with excitement as she ushers Kise inside Aomine’s office. What a pair, the two of them, his best friend and Kise radiating the same joyful vibe. As he further observes, his fake cousin rubs on a certain way on people wherever he goes and for this, Aomine can’t be any prouder of himself, for being the only person immune to what he secretly termed as the “Kise outbreak”.

After Satsuki and Kise waved each other off, his assistant left them alone to themselves. Kise saunters and plops onto one of the office chairs in front of Aomine’s desk.

“Do you always have to wear that scowl, cousin? For someone who’s going to be the next Chairman of Touou, you’re not too welcoming,” these are the words that Kise greets him with.

Aomine rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“What brings you here, Kise?” He says in his most exasperated voice, “I shouldn’t be wasting my time answering stupid questions.” He averts his gaze from the blond and pretends to type on his laptop.

“I know. I’m only here for important matters.” Leaning closer, Kise tells him, “I need 15,000 yen now.”

Aomine turns his attention back to the blond. “What is this, are you scamming me?”

“No, but I have an errand to do for Grandfather today,” Kise explains. “He asked me to get him this special manju filled with red bean and sweetened sakura petals which can only be bought from this traditional store in Kawaguchiko.”

“For 15,000 yen?” Aomine crosses his arms. “Are you planning to buy out the whole store?”

“It’s a pricey dessert! I’ve already checked, it’s 2,000 yen per box of three, I’m gonna get one for Grandpa, Auntie, Aominecchi, Sakuraicchi, and Wakamatsu-senpai plus, there’s a two-hour travel from Azabu to Kawaguchiko, I’ll be so tired from the trip, I think I’ll be back by dinner tonight. It’s only right that I charge fees for my extra services.”

Aomine clicks his tongue but doesn’t object. Grudgingly, he takes a few bills from his wallet and slides them across the table to Kise.

A satisfied smile pulls up from the corners of the blond’s lips while he counts the money.

“Hey, you’re expected to give me back my change.”

“Fine, fine!” Then Kise mumbles, “so rich yet so stingy.”

“And Kise, I need you to stop being too nice to my Mom and Grandpa, it isn’t good in the long run.”

At this, Kise’s face turns serious. “What? Just what do you expect me to do? I can’t help it, they treat me like real family.”

“That’s because they thought you are. Don’t fake it too much.”

“You think I’m faking it? That I can’t be nice and loving to them ‘coz I’m only pretending to be your cousin?” Kise’s tone shifts into defensive. “Do you always have such low opinion of me, Aominecchi?”

Aomine then regrets bringing up the subject. “That’s not my point, Kise, I’m just worried about my family getting too attached.”

“And you think I’m not? You think, I’m okay with all the lies?”

“You know what? Forget I said anything. Do what you must do.”

Pissed, Kise stuffs the money inside his bag. After throwing Aomine a cold stare, he storms off without another word.

 

Several moments later, Satsuki barges in, hands on her hips. “What did you do to Ki-chan?”

“Does it occur to you that this could’ve been the other way around? Why do I always get blamed when shit happens?”

“Dai-chan, if you’re mean to him—“

“I’m not!”

“The situation’s hard for Ki-chan already, you can at least try to be nicer! He’s your responsibility now!”

“I know that, okay? The cousin got moody but he’ll get over it,” Aomine replies, dismissing her worry off. “He’s just impossible to handle, sometimes.”

“Ah, very much like someone I know,” Satsuki says with a knowing grin. “Anyway, what did he come here for?”

“Grandpa sent him to Kawaguchiko to buy desserts. As usual, the brat came to me for money.”

“Smart,” his friend comments. “But his efforts will all be worth it, he’ll be so surprised when he comes home! I can’t wait to see Ki-chan’s reaction!”

Aomine shrugs, hoping that things will play out for the better somehow, after Kise returns from his trip, oblivious to what’s waiting for him at home.

Unbeknownst to Kise, the request for manju was just a ploy devised by Grandpa himself to lure Kise out of the house for a few hours while preparations are being made for tonight’s event. Wishing to make up for all the lost years that he didn’t spend with his grandson, Aomine Sato does the best he can to shower Kise with affection, making sure that Kise feels loved by his real family, in the hopes that he’d choose to stay with them, just as what Aomine’s mother had told him before.

With another wave of anxiety hitting him, Aomine shakes his head, an almost unconscious effort, which had puzzled Satsuki, causing her to ask questions. He lies about being okay and is glad that she doesn’t press further, he just isn’t in the mood to share what’s on his mind at the moment.

Because it’s disconcerting to think about the consequences, and after Satsuki has left him to himself, Aomine can’t help but let his thoughts go further astray, even coming up with wild plans in case he got disowned by his family once the truth comes out.

 

* * *

 

When Kise arrives home that evening bearing boxes of special manju which Grandpa had requested, he halts and does a double take at the front door, thinking he must have entered the wrong house. He hears several strange popping noises first before a burst of color catches his vision, confetti raining down on him while several people who were gathered by the Aomines’ enormous living room belt out a loud chorus of “Happy birthday”.

“It’s my birthday?” Kise inquires, brows quirking up all over his forehead in confusion as he scans the faces beaming at him.

“Today’s your real birthday, Ryou-chan and since this is the first time you’ll celebrate with the family, Otou-san thought we should make it special!” Sayuri explains, rushing to give him a big hug. “Happy birthday, dear!”

 _Right, it must be Aomine Takara’s birthday,_ Kise has come to realize. Before he can further react, Kise finds himself being embraced by others as well, Momoi, Kagami, Wakamatsu, Sakurai, and even Midorima. Finally, Aomine wheels his grandfather closer to Kise.

“Happy birthday, Ryouta,” Sato greets him fondly and it's been Kise’s cue to scoot low so that Aomine’s grandfather can embrace him, too.

“Happy birthday,” Kise’s fake cousin musters up a small smile, briefly holding Kise’s gaze steady, a stare that’s meaningful enough to ground Kise back to reality, Aomine expecting him to do his part well and give everyone else another convincing show of being the grateful grandson.

 _Don’t worry, I’m always in character,_ he means to assure Aomine.

“Oh, I don’t know what to say…” Kise trails off as he ran his fingers through his hair, “Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, everyone!”

Kise briefly nods in Aomine’s direction. Of course, he’ll do this. _He can do this_. Kise’s out to show his prick of a boss that he’s beyond being the impostor tonight.

“Let’s not keep the food waiting,” Grandpa reminds them. Sakurai is quick enough to grab away the paper bag of manju boxes from Kise to be enjoyed later, while Sayuri and Momoi jump to either of his side, both ladies pulling him to the dining room where a feast awaits.

 

Though the situation he finds himself right now is funny and strangely awkward, Kise decides that he has no choice but to play along, this seems entertaining enough and besides, he’s never had a birthday celebration quite like this in his life. There’s a sumptuous meal on the table which Kagami had prepared and Kise was told he’s been cooking all day in the Aomines’ kitchen together with Sakurai.

“You’re getting better and better Taiga-kun, this miso-coated pork belly is the best I’ve had so far!” Sayuri turns to Kagami to praise his cooking.

“Thanks, Auntie. I didn’t know what food Kise is really into yet, but since he used to travel a lot, I thought I’d make a fusion of traditional and modern style cooking, capturing flavors from the popular cities in Japan.” Kagami then turns to Kise beside him to catch his gaze, “I hope he likes it.”

Kagamicchi is really thoughtful, Kise thinks, as he munches on the meat, savoring the sweet-salty flavors of leeks and ginger playing on his tongue. He dabs the sides of his mouth before saying, “What did I tell you before, everything’s delicious, Kagamicchi! I love your cooking!”

Laughing softly, Kagami replies, “I’d love to cook for you any day…” he then clears his throat, quickly amending, “I mean, for you and Grandpa and Auntie… and Aomine, too, if that’s okay.”

“Thanks for the offer, but aside from the fact that I can’t afford your services, we’re already more than satisfied with Sakurai’s cooking,” Aomine interjects faster than a lightning bolt. “And Kise, don’t eat too much or you’ll get fatter, I thought you said you’re already watching your weight.”

“Huh? But Ki-chan’s not fat at all, geez.” Beside Kagami, Momoi shoots her best friend a sour look from across the table.

“He’s getting fat, see those cheeks?” Aomine insists bluntly, looking straight into Kise’s direction, thus, ignoring the warning glare he gets from his Grandpa and mother, “he’s looking like a blond hamster already.”

Kise grits his teeth, poised to stab his fake cousin’s eye with a chopstick if it hadn’t been for Momoi who makes a case on his behalf.

“You’re such an idiot, Dai-chan!” Aomine earns a scowl from Momoi, and perhaps, a kick from under the table because Aomine had visibly winced. “Don’t believe what he said, Ki-chan!”

“Yeah, you look just fine,” Kagami agrees. “No need to watch your weight.”

“As long as you keep everything in moderation, you’re all going to be fine. And take to heart the age-old advice, don’t neglect your veggies,” Midorima reminds them all.

“I don’t, Midorimacchi. I was just joking with Aominecchi the other day, I thought I was getting fatter here in Tokyo because of all the good food the family’s feeding me with, I’m afraid my friends in Osaka won’t recognize me at all when I get back.”

While he means to compliment the way the Aomines are taking care of him, Kise wants to slap himself after the words have gone out of his lips, their effect is immediately visible, Grandpa and Sayuri’s bewildered facial expressions say it all.

“Do you miss your friends back home? You can let them come over if you want,” Grandpa says.

 _You are the most stupid, Ryouta!_ He mentally kicks himself. Driven by his own internal panic, Kise attempts to undo the damage by saying, “honestly, I don’t mind not seeing them at all... because why would I, when I have family and friends here in Tokyo who accept me as I am?”

“Then eat as much as you like, my child. Don’t hold back. You’re good.” Grandpa seems satisfied, he reaches for several bite-sized pieces of sashimi and puts them on Kise’s plate. Kise gobbles them up quickly and despite already feeling full, he comes to replenish his plate with seconds, watching Grandpa’s reaction from the corner of his eye.

Just then, the doorbell rings and Sayuri’s head jerks up. “Oh, she’s here, finally!”

“Who?” Aomine asks his mother.

“I invited Mai-chan over! She just came back from New York, it’s all in the news!”

From across the table, Kise watches as Aomine’s blue eyes grow wide in shock, he freezes on his seat, apparently too stupefied to speak.

“Aha, the girlfriend’s back!” Kagami remarks and it is now Kise’s turn to be struck with surprise. The teasing lilt in Kagami’s voice is not lost on Kise and it’s hard to tell if he’s being serious or just messing with Aomine. But then, the fact that his fake cousin actually has a girlfriend in existence just sent Kise’s thoughts flying into a frenzy because why has he learned about this just now? He’s never recalled anyone mentioning about the girlfriend before.

Turning his head swiftly from Kagami to Aomine, the curious question breaks past Kise’s tongue. “Wait, Aominecchi has a girlfriend?”

“It’s more of a long-standing crush, actually,” Momoi clarifies with a snicker.

“He admired her since high school,” Midorima joins in, a smirk on the edge of his lips, seemingly enjoying the way Aomine is squirming on his chair.

“Maybe even way before that! But he’s an idiot when it comes to girls!” Kagami says, taking advantage of the opportunity to get even with Aomine for constantly mortifying him.

“Oi, you keep on talking as if I’m not here,” Aomine complains, glaring at his friends.

“No, she’s not Dai-chan’s girlfriend yet,” Sayuri elaborates, clearly seeing the confounded look that Kise wears. “But we all hope she’ll soon be. I’m so looking forward to little grandchildren running around the house.”

“God, Mom, please!” Aomine sulks, his face flushed with embarrassment while Momoi and Kagami chortle behind their hands.

“Wait,” Kise interrupts again, being the only one around the table who can’t seem to get into the sway of the conversation, struggling with several missing details of this alleged woman in Aomine’s life.

_Just returned to Japan…_

_It’s all over the news…_

An image returns to him, the photobook collection carefully arranged on Aomine’s shelf.

With an onslaught of questions now floating all over Kise’s headspace, the first that comes up verbally is,  “But we’re not talking about Horikita Mai here, are we?”

And there’s no such need for anyone on the table to spell out the details for him because as soon as Kise throws the burning question out, the one and only Horikita Mai, model-actress who just came home from her two-year stint in the US, waltzes into the dining room, drawing all attention to herself.

“Oh no, I hope I wasn’t too late?” With all eyes riveted on her, Horikita lets out an apologetic smile as she sashays across the Aomines’ dining room, her dark brown hair in a messy bun, her chiffon red dress with a deep neckline fluttering over her smooth thighs.

“Not at all, Mai-chan, come join us!” Sayuri waves her over.

After curtsying to Grandpa and Sayuri, Horikita smiles and greets everybody else. With the way she addresses each one, Kise concludes she must be close with Aomine, Momoi, Kagami, and Midorima or at least, have known them for quite a while, which is not really surprising since their families belong in the same social circle.

When she does acknowledge Kise, her soft, hazel eyes light up. Her stilettos clatter against the marble floor as she rushes to where Kise is, extending one petite arm for a handshake.

“Oh, but you must be Kise Ryouta, Daiki’s lost cousin! I’m so pleased to meet you! And happy birthday, too!”

 _Her hands are too soft_ , Kise tries to pay more attention to the feel of her skin if just to distract himself from the cleavage that peeks from her dress. So this is Aomine’s type, Kise discovers—petite, pretty women with huge busts, worthy of gracing the pages of a dozen photobooks.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Horikita-san. There’s too much surprise for me in one night, a celebrity came to my birthday!” Kise tells her with an awkward giggle.

“Please don’t say it, I’m just like everybody else off-cam!” She replies modestly.

Kise watches as she takes the vacant chair beside his pretend cousin, how their shoulders brushed together for a second, how Aomine’s cheeks take a deeper shade of crimson at the contact.

“Sorry, I never realized you were back. Had I known, I would’ve picked you up from the airport myself,” Aomine tells her.

“It’s okay, Daiki. I know you've a lot to attend to,” She says, as she helps herself with food. “Anyway, I’m just glad to be home.”

As the conversation drags along, Kise learns that Horikita Mai’s family is close to the Aomines and she had attended the same high school as Aomine and his friends, only she’s their senpai, being two years ahead of them. Recently, she got offered a small role in a Hollywood movie and with it several contracts to do modeling for clothing and make-up brands, thus explaining why she was in the US for a while.

Later, it’s Kagami who asks, “so are you finally staying for good?”

“Yeah, I think so. Never thought of making a home in a foreign country, it’s hard to adapt to a different culture. Plus, everybody I know is here, there’re lots of catching up to do,” she elaborates. “And speaking of,” she then turns to Kise, “Ryouta, I’m glad to know you're with your real family now! Auntie tells me you’re just in Osaka all this time?”

“Uh, yeah, Aominecchi found me.” And Kise launches into another retelling of how he got reunited with the family, the made-up version which he and Aomine have plotted over a strong cup of coffee several weeks ago.

“That’s just great! After so many years, Daiki’s efforts paid off!” Horikita remarks.

“Daiki has done so well. I’m grateful he never gave up on finding his cousin no matter the odds,” Sato agrees, glancing towards Aomine who just shrugs wordlessly. “And now, Ryouta is home with us.”

As soon as Sato turns to his direction, Kise has held onto the edge of the table for support, a stab of guilt painfully wrenching his heart yet again as the old man’s kind eyes rest on him, full of tenderness, of so much longing. In spite of it all, Kise manages a smile.

“I propose a toast for my grandson’s homecoming,” Sato announces.

Sakurai and Kagami are quick on their feet to help the guests with the cocktails. As everyone got served with drinks, Kise was delighted by how Kagami and Sakurai have made drinking cocktails look so elegant, served in glasses topped with a couple of mint leaves resting over a clump of spun sugar.

“To my grandson, Ryouta!” On his wheelchair, Grandpa leads the toast and raises his glass.

“To Ryouta!” Everyone around the table cheers.

At the gesture, Kise can’t help but flush at the sound of cheers as they say his name, warm, adoring gazes focused on him while they raised their drinks in the air. His heart swells, he feels like crying on the spot.

As Kise takes a sip from his glass, the drink lending warmth to his senses as it slides down his throat, he catches Aomine peering at him, his expression ever as difficult to decipher. Kise looks back into his fake cousin’s sapphire blue orbs, vowing silently that nothing’s going to stop him from bringing happiness to this family while staying in this house, no matter what Aomine thinks. It’s the least he can do for Sato and Sayuri, who have showered him with kindness since his first day here, never once doubting who he is.

“Mmm, Kagamin… I taste bourbon but with hints of mint and peach?” Satsuki is suddenly curious about the cocktails that were served.

“There’s ginger ale, too, right?” Horikita also isn’t that sure, after she swipes her tongue over her bottom lip.

“I hope it isn’t too strong?” Kagami returns the question with a sheepish smile. “I put my own twist to the bourbon peach smash. I layered ginger ale with honey ‘coz I want to match its color with Kise’s eyes.”

Momoi and Horikita exchange knowing grins.

“Ooh, it’s very good!” Sayuri coos, bringing her glass closer to her face to look closely at the golden brown hue of her drink. “Great job with this, it’s close enough to Ryou-chan’s eye color!”

“So you like Ki-chan’s eyes?” Momoi fires away with a telling smile.

“I…uh... well, I like to add a personal touch to everything ‘coz ya know, it’s his birthday, after all,” Kagami fumbles, looking up at the ceiling, turning red quite like his hair.

“Kagamin, you don’t have to explain anything at all, we know!” Satsuki laughs heartily with Horikita and Sayuri.

“That’s pretty sweet of you, Taiga!” Horikita adds before taking another sip of the cocktail, while Aomine beside her audibly lets out a scoff and rolls his eyes, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

“Aw, look, Ki-chan’s blushing, too! No need to be flustered, you both!” Momoi points out, making Kise grimace. He puts his glass back on the table and brings his palms to cover his flaming cheeks.

“Stop, I’m so embarrassed right now!” Kise says, feeling a rush of heat coming to his face.

“You’re too cute, Ki-chan! It’s okay!” Momoi continues to tease him.

“Sorry, Kise,” Kagami blurts out. “I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?”

“Not at all. You’re too nice and thoughtful, Kagamicchi, it’s flattering, honestly.” Kise shakes his head while trying his best to regain composure, though he can hardly meet the redhead’s eyes. “Thank you, I appreciate what you did.”

Between Horikita and Sayuri, Aomine chokes on his drink and coughs loudly, drawing all attention to himself.

“Hey, are you alright?” Horikita turns to Aomine with concern, one, well-manicured hand landing on Aomine’s back to stroke it gently.

“Excuse me.” Aomine fidgets with his shirt collar and clears his throat. “I just find myself extremely allergic to mush.”

“Dai-chan, what?” Momoi gapes at her bestfriend, pausing midway between her words, forehead wrinkling. “Wait, are you…”

Before she voices out her thoughts, though, Momoi holds her tongue, pressing her lips together into a tight line. Always a step ahead in figuring Aomine out, she goes quiet for a full moment before finishing her statement with a self-assured smile, “oh boy, you’re in trouble.”

 

* * *

 

Once dinner was over, Aomine’s mom calls for all of them to head back to the living room.

“Everyone, thank you for coming over to our dearest Ryou-chan’s celebration!” Standing in the middle of the room, Sayuri’s hands are clasped together in front of her chest, her eyes sweeping over the faces of the guests. “But of course,  no birthday is complete without gifts, so now we move on to the best part!”

Aomine blinks twice before cracking his knuckles in a gesture of unease, wondering how in the name of Kami had he completely forgotten to buy Kise a gift, anything that’ll make him look good before his family and friends. It’s an honest mistake on his part but for sure, no explanation will absolve him, he’s going to get an earful again from his mom and Satsuki later.

“But Auntie!” Right by Aomine’s side on one of the couches, Kise cups his flushed cheeks before turning to Sayuri with a pout. “You don’t have to bother, really.”

However, Sayuri pays him no mind. “None of that, Ryou-chan! As Taiga-kun said, it’s your birthday, after all!”

“I’ll start off,” Grandpa says. He nods towards Wakamatsu, who pulls out from the inside of his jacket a small red box adorned with a thick white ribbon, before walking over to where the blond is, handing Kise Sato’s birthday gift for him.

Carefully, Kise unlaces the ribbon and lifts the lid. Beside Kise, Aomine sees that his grandfather has given his pretend cousin a Rolex, the light from the crystal chandelier over their heads dancing on its rose-gold surface.

“Oh, but Grandpa, thank you! It’s beautiful!” Kise exclaims, immediately shutting the box close.

“I go next,” Sayuri volunteers, giving Kise a gift box wrapped in silver paper. “Since you like to travel, here’s my birthday gift for you!”

Tearing the silver wrapper apart, it was revealed that Sayuri had given Kise a digital camera. Kise thanks her profusely as he did Aomine’s grandfather earlier.

The others brought Kise gifts as well. From Satsuki, Kise received a leather-bound journal while Mai-chan, who had just learned about Kise’s birthday a few days ago, managed to bring his fake cousin a bottle of perfume whose brand Aomine can’t read nor pronounce, he just thinks it’s some French brand. Bakagami, the blushing idiot, fidgets and stutters as he hands Kise a paper bag which contained a knitted cardigan. Midorima, as expected, had gifted Kise this month’s lucky item, a hand shovel, and insists that Kise always keep it close for an extra helping of good luck.

When all eyes turn to Aomine, though, he shifts anxiously on his spot and looks away, pretending to be chill.

“Dai-chan?” Sayuri prompts him with a kind smile.

Trust his mom to make things worse for him, she might as well dig a hole and bury him alive right on the spot, now Aomine has to admit out loud that he didn’t get Kise a freaking gift. But what else could he do but say the truth?

“I haven’t got him anything,” Aomine admits with a sigh. “I was busy, it totally slipped from my mind.”

“You’ve got nothing for your cousin’s birthday?” His Grandpa asks, staring at him wide-eyed, as if he had not understood what his grandson just said.

Bringing a hand to scratch the back of his head, he tells him, “I forgot, I’m sorry.”

He’s pretty sure it’s Satsuki who lets out a small gasp, his other friends are looking at him silly and Aomine knows they’re already judging him to be so calloused.

“Hey, it’s alright, I know Aominecchi is always a busy man.” Surprisingly, it’s Kise, the least of all people he expects to come to his aid, who speaks up to his defense.

One of Kise’s hand finds its way on top of Aomine’s shoulder before he continues to tell everybody,

“My cousin doesn’t have to bring me anything because he’s already given me the best gift of all…”

Then Kise’s neck twists to the side, towards Aomine, and the latter gets to see the golden flecks bursting within those honeyed irises, branding Aomine’s soul, impossibly long eyelashes crowning them.

 _His eyes are really pretty_ , Aomine admits silently to himself, only half realizing that his mouth has formed a tiny o-shape.

Just then, Kise lets out an endearing smile before he says, “it’s the gift of family. So thank you, Aominecchi!”

“Oh, Ryou-chan, but you are a blessing to us!  And so are you, my dearest son, you made this all possible! I love you both so much!” With tears rolling down her cheeks, Sayuri hurries to the spot where Kise and Aomine are sitting side by side and wraps her arms around them.

“My grandsons are my greatest treasures,” Sato declares. He commands Wakamatsu to push his wheelchair to where his family is so he may join them.

Sheltered within the hollow of his family’s embrace, relief comes to Aomine, both serene and pleasant, all inhibitions melting away.  For this time alone, Aomine lets go, lets himself believe what Kise had said, what his family had esteemed him to be.

He did the right thing, bringing Kise home.

 

* * *

 

When Aomine gets home after a long day at work on the night after, the rich cadence of Grandpa’s laughter, something that rarely happens until recently, greets Aomine at the threshold of their mansion. When he peers into the living room, he finds his grandfather perched in between Sayuri and Kise on the couch, their heads bent together towards something on Grandpa’s lap.

He catches his mom telling the other two, “he was so scared of the bee that he actually climbed one of the trees in the orchard while crying… but then, he doesn’t know how to get down so he jumped and broke his tailbone…”

“Evening,” Aomine says, breaking into their oblivion.

“Dai-chan, you’re home, look what Ryou-chan did!” Sayuri beckons him to come over and sit beside Kise.

When Aomine scoots closer, there on Grandpa’s lap is a scrapbook, with pages popping with color, adorned all over the borders with stickers, buttons and other tiny knick-knacks. On the page where it’s opened, Aomine sees an old photo of his five-year-old self, all big smiles with chubby arms outstretched towards the camera, one hand holding a sunflower and the other a toy car.

“Where’d you get this?” Aomine asks his fake cousin.

“Auntie showed me lots of family pictures, all the way back from when Facebook is still non-existent. I took some and put it in here.” Kise replies.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” Grandpa says while he proceeds to leaf through several more pages showing more pictures of Aomine’s young self. He particularly stops on a page where Aomine is once again smiling brightly for the camera, holding out a crayfish twice as large as his tiny palms.

“Hey, look, you’re so cute and innocent there, Aominecchi! I wonder what happened to pure Mine?” Kise nudges him.

“I’m still pure,” Aomine points out, scowling at Kise.

“Oh yes, you’re pure…  cousin Aominecchi grew up to be a pure meanie!”

“Oi, say that again!”

Before they can bicker, though, Sayuri squeals at another photo of Aomine, this time a teenager, the gold medal around his neck prominently standing out against his black-and-maroon jersey.

“That’s my first inter-high championship,” he says and suddenly, a well of nostalgia breaks inside Aomine’s chest, old memories racing through his mind in a mosaic of days, scenes and faces of people he’s encountered in the past. Those were a lot of good times. Aomine smiles and when he glances sideways to his mom and grandfather, he can tell through their lighthearted countenance that they’re swept away by a flood of beautiful memories, too.

“This family is beautiful, I’m jealous,” Kise remarks, his voice just over a din of a whisper.

“Now that you’re here, we’ll be sure to take more family photos with you in it,” Grandpa assures Kise.

The blond nods and beams towards his grandfather but then, Aomine discovers something peculiar in the expression that Kise now wears, a smile that is nowhere near as bright as the ones he usually reserves for Sato and Sayuri, his features visibly marked by wistfulness.

 

* * *

 

A couple of mornings after Kise’s so-called birthday, Aomine pays his fake cousin a visit to his bedroom with a definite purpose in mind.

“Oi Kise, you in there?” He knocks hard against the door to the blond’s room.

“What do you want, Aominecchi?” Kise’s dulcet voice resounds from the inside.

“Can I come in?”

After the door is pulled wide enough for him to enter, Aomine marches in. Kise’s room smell like tangerines, he notes.

“What is it?” Kise inquires, curious, golden eyes trained on Aomine’s face, hands shoved inside the pockets of his shorts.

“I got ya something,” Aomine says, suddenly feeling awkward and hesitant. There’s a sizeable box that’s tucked under the fold of his left armpit and he clumsily hands it to Kise, his belated birthday gift for the blond.

“What is this for? A prank?” Kise focuses on the metallic blue wrapping paper before meeting Aomine’s eyes again.

“Birthday gift, dumbass.”

“But we both know it isn’t my real birthday,” Kise reasons, still skeptical.

“A thank you gift, then.”

“Thank you gift for me, Aominecchi? What for?”

 _For always doing your best to make my grandpa and mom happy._ Aomine wants to say but doesn’t; Kise should be able to figure it out on his own.

“Instead of asking and asking, why don’t you open it so you’d know?”

Kise obliges, takes the gift and proceeds to plop onto his bed, shaking the box first. Aomine stands watching, as Kise’s slender fingers tug and tear the wrapping paper apart. When the blond discovers what’s inside, he turns to Aomine, surprise easily displacing the stoic expression he wears earlier.

“I— this is…” Kise stammers, still a little bit unsure, “I’ve never owned a pair of Jordans before!”

When Kise lifts the lid, his eyes open wider and so does his mouth, as he takes in the white and royal blue trimmings adorning the pair of shoes in his hands, lightly running his thumb across the logo emblazoned on the sides. Dropping the box to the floor, Kise hurries to grab a pair of socks from his closet, slips them over each foot before shoving his toes into his new kicks in record time.

“Fits perfectly, Aominecchi!” Kise squeals on the brim of excitement as he laces both shoes tight on his feet. “Wow, I love it, thank you so much!”

Aomine grins in spite of himself, enthralled by Kise’s reaction, by that pure and blissful smile born from the corners of his rosy lips, the warmth shining from his eyes thawing the glaciers around Aomine’s heart.

“One-on-one? I feel I’m going to win today!” Kise issues a challenge.

Aomine juts his chin forward in response. “Of course not! But if you win, I’ll treat you to Häagen-Dazs.”

“Oh, cool! Prepare to lose, Aominecchi! And my favorite flavor is Salted Caramel!”

 

* * *

 

By the end of their game, though, it’s Aomine who won by the skin of his teeth yet he still treats Kise to Salted Caramel Häagen-Dazs, anyway.

And being the simple man that he is, Aomine has barely a hint or even the vaguest idea, that there’s something else Kise had won that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I managed to put an update on Teiko AoKise day and it's almost Ki-chan's birthday too! My love for these dorks keeps burning, 8 months and 8 chapters down! (ノ*°▽°*)
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, come holler at me at the comments and see you in Chapter 9! (ง ื▿ ื)ว

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, for giving this story a chance! I appreciate it so much.  
> Yeah, I finally grew some balls and started a multi-chaptered fic so... good luck to me. Going through this path is quite a challenge because I still need to get used to long writing journeys. So if you have any feedback lying around, holler at me at the comments, please? This is my first venture into writing something longer than a one-shot, my /skills/(if you can call it that) are as rusty as an old nail plus persistent commitment issues, but I'm, uh, trying my best (tho it doesn't look like it at all).
> 
> Oh, and for those who have thrown love over my one-shots, another shower of gratefulness and love from me to you~ With every kudo/comment/bookmark and love, you helped me come back into writing again, tho I'm a hundred years unskilled and the room for improvement is a vast and lonely landscape.
> 
> Geez, I am a useless blabbermouth. Next up will be the AoKise encounter, hope to see you there ^_^


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